Forest Spirit
by Alannada
Summary: It all started when Kagome found the forest spirit pinned to a tree, sleeping under his seal. It started when instead of running away she stayed to talk to him and saw his ears twitch. [AU] Expect friendship, fights, gore, fluff, humor, romance, big swords, many characters from canon, some ocs and a story based loosely on anime. Rating's bound to go up
1. The Deal

Summary A girl wanders too deep into the forest and finds a soul she can entrust her secrets to.  
A/N This one gave me a small idea for a continuation, but I'm still not sure if I do it.*  
Day 5 (AU / Blue) of inukag week 2017

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 **The Deal**

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She found him in the forest during a summer day, when she was looking for herbs. She got deep in the forest, far from the village, trying to find all plants her adoptive mother needed for her medicines. She knew he had to be somewhere in the forest - after all it was named after the spirit dwelling within its shdows.

She walked ointo a meadow and as she looked around she spotted red and silver with a corner of her eye. As she turned her head in that direction she saw a huge tree and a man in red kimono pinned to the broad bark, an arrow piercing his arm, his body wrapped by vines. His hair were long and shimmering silver, his fair face calm and relaxed, his head tilted to the side. As she approached him slowly she saw two white dog ears sitting atop his head, partially hidden in the wild mane of hair.

She had no doubt - this man was the forest spirit.

He seemed to be asleep, not minding the arrow nor the vines She stood just before him, awe and fear entwining themselves in her heart. He was the forest spirit who had been protecting the village for centuries - until the day the villagers had enraged him and he almost had destroyed it. Then he had disappeared in his forest, never to come back. No one in the village dared to talk about the forest spirit, but Kagome knew the story because her adoptive mother Kaede, the priestess of the village, had told her it once. Since that day youkai were free to attack the village because the forest spirit was sealed by the traitor who had caused his rage. Kagome still didn't know who and how put the village in his disgrace.

Now she was standing mere feet from the being who ruled over the vast forest, the powerful spirit who's ire her people had invoked. Why was his face so calm then? Did he not remember the rage and destruction that had occured that fateful day? Probably not, he seemed to be so peaceful and beautiful with the sunlight dancing on his face.

"Oh, forest spirit, are you still angry at my people?" she whispered, studying his face. She gasped as his ears twitched at her question, but nothing more happened. She didn't dare to speak again and left the meadow soon. Yet deep in her heart she knew she would come back.

Since this day she was visiting the meadow quite often, sitting under the forest spirit's feet for hours and talking to him, sometimes bringing her sewing with herself. The presence of the sleeping white-haired man was making her feel safe so deep within the forest annd the atmosphere under the canopy of tree limbs was so soothing. There was no one to stare at her oddly, no one to ignore her almost all the time. Kagome remembered that before her parents' death people hadn't been so cold towards her, but those days were long gone. Luckily she found this beautiful meadow and the sleeping forest spirit didn't mind her presence - at least she felt that way - and it was warming her heart.

She was never close to anyone in the village, aside of her adoptive mother, so she felt lonely. The man pinned to a tree by an arrow seemed to be lonely too, so she decided to visit him as often as possible in hope that they both could feel better. Quickly Kagome found herself telling him about her life in the village, the mundane affairs of her fellow villagers, pranks of boys, bigger and smaller events. He usually didn't react in any way, but sometimes she could see his ears move, just a little. It was always making her smile, she felt that someone cared about what she had to say. She knew deep down it was odd to monologue to a supernatural being like him about so ordinary things like preparations for a harves festival, but she didn't care. She found it addicting, talking to him and looking for his reaction. When she had no interesting tale from the village she wa singing or, sometimes, telling him about herself, her dreams and troubles. It wasn't like he was going anywhere to talk about her to people, right? One day she told him about about her parents' death and the good Kaede who had took her in and raised, teaching her how to heal and make medicines. This day his ears were the most active and it urged her to tell him more and more.

Of course no one knew about the meadow and she was doing her best to hide the destination of her journeys. It wasn't like she had friends curious where she was disappearing for hours. Only priestess Kaede was sometimes asking about her trips to the forest, but Kagome had always an excuse - a basket of herbs or rare flowers or any other thing. The forest spirit was hers and she didn't intend to share. The thought that her adoptive mother could forbid her from visiting him was too painful to bear.

He was her secret and she liked to daydream about him finally waking up and talking to her too. What a forest spirit could tell her? Would he share his secrets with her? Would he become her friend, not only a mute listener to her monologues? She hoped he would like her. In her daydreams he was a kind person, gentle and sweet. As time was passing he started to appear in her dreams, not always pinned to his tree, not always asleep, not always unmobile. Sometimes the dreams were leaving her blushing and panting on her bed - she was keeping those to herself, unwilling to share this secret even with him.

But Kagome wasn't always talking to her forest spirit. Sometimes she was just observing him, admiring his silver hair and wondering about the color of his eyes. She was pretty sure he was dreaming about something pleasant because one day she noticed a little smile on his face - was it there before she found him? She knew his face as well as she knew her own, but she'd never heard his voice. He was mysterious and she hoped one day she could learn some of his secrets. It would be a fair exchange for all her secrets, right?

As time was passing and the days slowly started to be colder the forest started to change, following tha pattern of seasons. The leaves were turning to yellow and red and days were often misty or rainy. Kagome was at the same time happy because the harvesting season would soon end and afraid - youkai attacks were usually more frequent at this part of the year. One day she cane to the meadow and stood before the forest spirit, speaking softly and sadly. She knew she'd miss him and the serenity she felt while staying in the forest. Yet there would be less excuses to go off the village, the days would be short and dark and she was also afraid she'd meet a youkai on her way to the glade. For some reason she never was afraid one could attack her while being there.

"I am afraid when the winter comes I can't see you so often," she told the forest spirit and brushed a stray red leaf from her black hair. She noticed his ears twitch again and chuckled as she reached to touch one of them in a gentle caress (she didn't dare to touch his ears often, but sometimes couldn't resist, they were simply too cute) "Don't worry, I'll come back when the spring comes. And it's not like I wouldn't visit you during the winter."

Kagome came back the next day. This time it was different than any other visit. She didn;t sneak to the meadow, making sure no one could see her on her way and follow her. She didn't stop to admire the beauty of the old trees around the glade and didn't greet the forest spirit. Instead she ran straight to the ancient tree, crying and panting heavily after running there all the way from the village. Her blue kimono was torn in a few places, but she didn't care about it. She was horrified and scared, needed to reach the meadow and drown in the atmosphere of safety and peace. She ran from chaos and death, from painful cries and merciless laughter, from fire and blood. Kagome didn't run here to hide, she wanted to beg for help - maybe it was crazy to hope that the forest spirit would open his eyes and help them, but she didn't know what else she could do.

She stumbled through the grass until she reached the forest spirit's tree. Bitting her bottom lip she reached out to his warm body and buried her face in the rough red fabric on his chest. She knew the sleepin forest spirit couldn't possibly do anything to protect her, but she always felt safe near him and had no where to run, no one else to ask for help. The spirit's chest was rising and falling in a steady breath. This rhythmical motion alone managed to soothe her fear a bit and silence her sobs as she was crying in despair. After a minute she was able to speak, but her voice was hoarse and shaky.

"Oh, Inuyasha, this' horrible!" she wept, daring to speak his name. "The youkai attacked and there's so many of them... And priestess Kaede is no where to be found... Without her we can't fight them back..."

She was gripping the red fabric and the arrow for support until she realized something was wrapped loosely around her waist.

"Keh, and why're you tellin' me this?" a warm breath brushed against her ear as she froze, for a second forgetting about her fear and everything else. The grip on her waist tightened and she felt his soft hair tickle her cheek as he bowed his head, but she barely registerd that.

He was awake. He spoke. His voice was deep and quiet, unlike voices of the village men she knew. She dared to open her eyes and lift her head a little, her gaze rested on an ear in close proximity to her face. It wasn't her imagination, he was no longer asleep. Feeling awkward she tried to step out from his embrace, she wanted to bow and beg him for help, the villagers needed his aid and there was not too much time to stare in wonder at her forest spirit and listen to his voice. She had to focus. As she tried to push herself away from him she felt more than heard his growl, resonating deep in his chest. .

"You're stayin' here," he growled against the side of her neck and she found herself pressed against him so tightly she was afraid she couldn't breathe for a moment. "So?"

"The village... Youkai attacked it..." she hid her face on his chest agin, the feeling of being safe sweeping through her despite the fact that she was in arms of a forest spirit who had been sealed for decades after almost desolating the same village. "Please, help us..."

"Feh, why should I do that, Kagome?" he asked, still with his face buried in her hair, breathing deeply. A part of her was amazed at the sound of her name as he spoke it. "Why are so desperate to help them? They betrayed me. They ignored you, didn't want to talk to you, treated you like you did somethin' wrong and never explained what exactly."

Kagome gasped, realizing he had heard her when he was still asleep. He knew all her secrets and worries, he had heard her sing and... She fought back her embaressment, trying to focus on the thing which had brought her to the meadow in the first place. She needed to make him help them, the village was within his forest, he should protect it!

"That doesn't matter, they're still human beings. Please, help them... They don't deserve to be devoured..." she felt her tears start to flow again as images from the village, burning and in total chaos, returned to her mind. The forest spirit made an annoyed noise.

"Stop crying!" he demanded. "And pull off this damn arrow!"

"A-arrow...?" she blinked back her tears. Did he want to help them? Could she break the seal?

"The thing you hold, idiot!" he barked and lifted his head to look at her. For a second she could only stare inot his golden eyes, full of anticipation, ire and... Hope? He scowled at her. obviously impatient, so she quickly dropped her gaze to the arrow and gripped it tighter. He hissed through his teeth and tensed, but when she stole a glance at his face he nodded.

Kagome took a deep breath and started to pull. Soft pink light enveloped the arrow and her hand, at the sight of it the forest spirit growled lowly, She felt odd, warmth was radiating from the arrow and she could feel her fingers tingle and weaken as the light was growing stronger. She fought against this feeling, desperate to pull the arrow and break the resistance of the light. Kagome knew she had to do it, she had to break the seal in order to free the forest spirit so he could protect her village She started panting heavily, feeling her physical strength fade. Luckily, the light started to dim as well before it changed color to azure and disappear. The arrow disappeared too, changing in countless blue sparks.

If it were not for the arms still wrapped around her waist she'd fall to the ground, exhausted. As she rested her forehead against the warm body of the spirit she felt something rising around her like mist - maybe it was just her imagination, but she felt as if it was pulsing. With a corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of his face, he gave her a fangy grin.

"Now," he lowered his head back to bury his face on her shoulder. "To the payment for my help."

"P-payment?" she repeated, her voice small not only because of exhaustion. What she could give him to pay for his help? Should she argue with him? Was it wise to do that, to annoy him? He could decide not to help and just leave... "What would you want?"

"I think I'll take you," he murmured in her ear. "If you still want me to save the villagers."

A/N I must admit that posting things so soon after finishing writing them is a bit new for me, I usually put finished works for ca. 2 weeks before I go through them again and then publish them. Still, I'm quite glad I managed to write things for the prompts despite my mood/creativity swings and other things which keep me from writing (rl mostly)  
*Spoiler - I totally do it, so stay tuned if you want to see where this story goes


	2. Blue Fire

Summary:  
Forest in autumn Miko in making Blue fire appears A/N;  
Did I tell you, guys, that I suck on AUs? So I take extra time to read this again and again and make it as good as I can.

I didn't expect so many of you guys get so excited about the first chapter :D Hope you'll like the following ones, even if they aren't what one could expect. Still, be patient with me, there is some fun stuff coming soon.

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 **Blue Fire**

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 **Kagome was walking through the forest in direction of her village. She had been staying on the meadow almost until the midday. She was following the path she knew so well, but felt as if she was walking it the first time in her life. Sunlight was dancing around her as the red, orange and brown leaves were falling from branches with every gust of wind.**

 **It was like walking through flames.**

 **It brought to her mind memories of the night - the youkai attacking the village, the terrified screams of humans mixed with the sounds the beasts were making, the scent of blood and smoke from a few houses which caught fire... The feeling of hopelessness inability to do anything, the burning knowledge that Kikyou, Kaede, or any other real priestess could waste the youkai while she was powerless to protect the humans. The desperate choice she had made to run to the spirit sleeping in the forest, the hope and fear, her desperate pleas...**

 **Him waking up and opening those beautiful, hypnotizing golden eyes... His arms supporitng her when she felt so tired after pulling out his arrow, holding her close to his warm body. The serene safety of the meadow. His husky voice, words more barked than spoken... The smell of the forest and wind lingering on his red kimono...**

 **Their deal.**

 **She was so anxious, fear for well being of her fellow villagers and hope to see the village saved were mingled within her heart with all the emotions the spirit had made her feel, all the worried he had caused. The being - her forest spirit who had been listening to her for the past few months, who she was fascinated with - was free and from their short conversation she knew already he wasn't like in her daydreams - he wasn't a gentle, benevolent being. He appeared to be more like the youkai from the tales no one dared to tell loudly. He was intimidating, rude, quite bossy and short-tempered.**

 **She had agreed to give herself, her life, to this being in order to save the village, the people she knew since she was a child, but who didn't even like her. Still, it was the right choice, she knew it, the villagers were innocent, they didn't deserve to be devoured - kids, women and men - and she was a miko's daughter, taught to value life and protect her kin.**

 **A part of her was telling her that there was no way to tell what the forest spirit had had in mind while making her accept his demand and that maybe he didn't want her dead - after all he hadn't killed her yet and she was pretty sure he could do it right then while he had been holding her in his arms. There were other options, but she pushed them out of her mind, willing herself to think about something else.**

 **'We'll see what he wants of me when he comes and tells me,' she thought. 'No use worrying about unknown.' Yet still she was worried. There was no saying what the youkai was thinking or up to.**

 **She was close to the village now and this helped her drop her thoughts about the forest spirit. Were they alright? She hoped not only those who were kind to her at times, but also those mean or ignoring her were safe. People who seemed to tolerate her and were actually nice were rare, since majority of the villagers preferred to ignore her presence, and Kagome really wanted them to be okay. And, most of all, she hoped to find her adoptive mother in good health. Kagome hoped her action saved human lives this night.**

 **The girl left the line of trees and stopped, looking at the village in some distance from the border of the forest, examining it from there before resuming walking. Many buildings were destroyed, some burned to the ground. A lot of trees within the village borders shared the same fate. It was obvious the battle was long and hard. As Kagome neared the place where she had spent majority of her life she spotted people here and there. This sight made her run.**

 **She ran through the village, passing by broken walls, collapsed roofs, fallen trees. Pieces of flesh and ponds of blood and other liquids couldn't stop her, even the stench did nothing to decrease the speed of her pace. People she was passing by were usually sporting some bandages on their bodies, but otherwise seemed to be okay, they were busy cleaning the remainders of the night raid. A few of them glared at her, probably thinking she had hid in the forest.**

 **Well, it was partially true - after all after her talk with the forest spirit she had stayed on the glade, nestled between roots of his tree, letting her fatigue pull her into slumber which couldn't bring relief. She felt guilty for not returning, she felt mentally tired and she desperately needed to find someone very dear to her, someone who had never looked at her as if she was cursed or unworthy.**

 **"Mother!" she called as she spotted this person standing by the steps leading to the shrine, talking to the headman of the village and some other men. Kaede had only enough time to turn around before her adoptive daughter reached her and pulled in a hug. "Oh, mother! I was so worried!"**

 **"I am so glad to see you unharmed, child," Kaede stroked her black hair. "I just returned and was looking for you, but no one seemed to know where you were since the attack."**

 **"I ran to the forest," Kagome was so relieved, she felt as if a heavy stone was lifted from her heart. The village was saved - it was still in a bad shape, but it was saved - and Kaede was okay. Tears filled Kagome's eyes and she did nothing to restrain them as she buried her face on Kaede's chest.**

 **"To the forest?" Kaede repeated, stroking Kagome's back in a soothing gesture. Then her body tensed as she looked down at her adoptive daughter, the reincarnation of her older sister. "Oh, child... You freed him."**

 **It wasn't a question. Kagome lifted her head and gave a nod, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.**

 **"She broke the seal?" he headman asked Kaede and the miko nodded. "How was that possible when she can't use her miko powers?"**

 **"How did she manage to make the forest spirit come and save us? The last time he was here he destroyed half of the village and the shrine," added an old man standing beside him, stroking his long beard.**

 **"I asked him to," Kagome confessed. "He didn't want to at first, but then he agreed to protect the village in exchange for... For my life."**

 **"Oh, Kagome," she felt Kaede's embrace grow tighter.**

 **"Poor kid," the young woman heard the same old man "She'll never be like priestess Kikyou, but she'll pay for her actions..."**

 **"Maybe the forest spirit will not come back to finish destroying the village," she heard the headman say.**

 **Kaede pulled her adoptive daughter in direction of their hut, far from the villagers whispering.**

 **'So I broke Kikyou's seal and made the forest spirit save you, but I am still not good enough, huh?' Kagome thought bitterly. 'Why people always compare me to her?'**

 **Kagome had to wait a whole week before she could sneak out to the forest again. A part of her hoped to see the forest spirit there, but the glade was empty. The girl sighed and sat under his tree, resting her back against its bark. She put a basket of food she had brought right beside herself.**

 **Here, in this spot, Inuyasha had told her that he will take her. And then he had let her go, observing her take a few steps back. His eyes had been full of emotions changing rapidly - she could remember confusion, anger, sadness and longing, but there were so many other feelings deep in those expressive eyes partially hidden behind shaggy bangs. And just as she had uttered her answer he had left her - never to come back.**

 **She had hoped (and feared) for his return during first three days, but then a realization came - he was not in a hurry to collect his prize. She could just wait and worry, trying to understand why he had made her accept this deal. The fear of unknown changed into anger, then resignation. Who knew what the youkai wanted? He could come here any minute and demand her blood or anything else. Kagome had been pretty sure at that night that he was going to kill her - a sacrifice of blood for lives of the villagers. But with every day she lived she felt hope growing in her - maybe her fate wouldn't be that dark?**

 **A deep blush covered her cheeks as she thought about one option - as much as she was trying to forget the tight hold of his arms and the feeling of his breath against her skin she couldn't. More than once in her dreams he had demanded of her not her life, but her virginity and to her embarrassment those dreams weren't nightmares full of violence and pain, but dreams a pure maiden shouldn't have. For the villagers becoming a youkai's lover would be a fate darker than death, but Kagome wasn't sure she felt the same - she had heard tales about good youkai and knew well that there were men worse than the supernatural beings. The forest spirit had been protecting the village for decades before being sealed, he had to be one of the good - or at least neutral - youkai. She felt embarrassed that she was even thinking about such things, but she wasn't repulsed by them.**

 **"You're so hard to predict," she sighed. It had to be expected - after all she didn't really know him. It was him who had to listen to her talking about herself, while he had kept all his secrets hidden. A huge part of herself wanted to reveal those secrets, to become his friend, to see if he really was a good person, to...**

 **It would be hard with him never coming back.**

 **Her mother knew now about her trips to the meadow - and to Kagome's utter surprise she didn't mind them ('After all the damage's already done,' Kagome thought), as long as Kagome was studying hard. And Kagome did her best to learn. She didn't know how long she would live, or what would happen to her, but she wanted to make her mother smile again instead of worrying about her fate. And Kaede was smiling each time Kagome was making progress.**

 **"Things are a bit different in the village now," Kagome found herself speaking, even if her usual listener was gone. It was soothing and helping her organize her thoughts. The scents and sounds of the forest hadn't changed since the night of breaking the seal. "People are a bit nicer to me, you know. I guess mother told some of them about the deal I have with you because some of the women look at me with pity when they think I don't see. The other day Sakura and her sisters came to help me with laundry, you know, they never did that before, even if Sakura was one of those girls who were sometimes talking to me."**

 **She closed her eyes and rested her head against the tree behind her.**

 **"Mother Kaede told me that I am the reincarnation of priestess Kikyou and that's why I could see you pinned to the tree and undo the seal," she said softly. "She told me that everyone expected me to develop spiritual powers as strong as hers, that the villagers hoped that I'd be the second Kikyou and protect the village. She was strong and wise, they wished me to be just like her. Yet I've never shown any trace of spiritual power and even mother thought I don't possess any power of a miko. So they were disappointed with me because I didn't fulfill their hopes."**

 **It was annoying to know that all adults were treating her like air because in their opinion she was lacking something and their kids were following their lead. Kagome thought about Sakura telling her when they were ten that people were gossiping that Kagome was cursed.**

 **And her mother hadn't told her about it for years because she didn't want Kagome to compare herself to her sister, to feel bad because she couldn't be a real miko. Kaede wanted her to follow her own path and be the best person she could, not try to become someone she couldn't.**

 **"It seems I must have some miko powers after all because I could see you and break the seal," she continued. "Mother says that it is possible that my powers were blocked or dormant until this summer, because she is sure she hadn't sense them the last time she was testing me. We still don't know what could cause them working."**

 **The young woman's gaze dropped to her lap and her hands resting there. She knew Kikyou was responsible for the seal put on the forest spirit. Was that the reason he wanted her life as a payment for his services? Because she was Kikyou's reincarnation she had to pay with her blood for Kikyou's action - just like the old man had said?**

 **'But if yes then why am I still alive? He could kill me countless times already? Had he see that I am not her and decided to spare me? Or maybe he wants me to go insane from worrying? How could he know I am the former priestess' reincarnation back then? '**

 **"I was only good at healing. So the villagers felt... Cheated on, I guess. They were hoping for a powerful warrior miko and got a common healer. And were worried I can't protect the village as a priestess like mother Kaede and her older sister."**

 **Kagome bit her bottom lip, gripping the fabric of her clothes with her hands. That was stupid. 'How could they look down at me because I couldn't live up to their expectations? Did they think as a reincarnation I'm bound to be just like the previous miko? I am my own person, they should accept me as who I am, not think little of me because I am 'not as good as the original'. They even were thinking I'm cursed to be powerless as a miko.'**

 **"But it seems I can use spiritual powers after all, even if, according to mother, I'm not very strong and need a lot of training to be able to use them effectively," she continued after taking a deep breath. "She's training me, but it's really hard. If the villagers start to be nice to me and accept me because I'm finally starting to live up to their expectations I'll leave the village," she added, suddenly angry. "If they can't accept me for who I am and what I can do they can look for an another healer."**

 **She hated to be compared to this idolized image of Kikyou. She hated to be seen as a poorly made copy of someone else and she wasn't willing to repeat Kikyou's life just because a bunch of people wanted her to. 'If the forest spirit wants to end my life soon I'll definitely not repeat Kikyou's life,' she thought bitterly. The thought that he, her silent companion for so many moths, could look at her and see her only as a replacement for Kikyou, was painful. She wanted him to see in her a friend, a woman, not a person who had sealed him to a tree.**

 **"It's so annoying, you know," she continued. "So new and confusing. Suddenly I have all this spiritual stuff to learn and I have little time to do what I like. I was a simple healer and was happy to make medicine, to collect herbs and tend to my garden. Now I have to become a real miko: train archery, meditate and do other stuff. I know mother trains me because it's unwise to let my powers grow unchecked and untamed, but I feel like the rest of the village just wants me to change to fit the image of Kikyou. I know they are just worried for the future of the village, but still, that's stupid and selfish. I am not Kikyou, I am myself and I don't intend to change to match her image in their minds. I hate them comparing me to her."**

 **The wind rustled in the leaves and Kagome tensed as she imagined - it had to be her imagination - that she heard a quiet 'keh!' from some distance. The girl looked around quickly, but there was nothing and no one - just trees, bushes and rocks. She felt a shiver run down her spine and stood up, trying to focus, scanning the area with her sight. She regretted now that she didn't learn well how to use her power to look for traces of youki - she could do it a short distance, but her eyes already told her what her powers could just confirm - there was no one nearby.**

 **'Did I imagine it?'**

 **She decided to go home. She shouldn't spend her time sitting in middle of the forest talking to herself when there were things to do. Her habit was pointless now, there was no one to listen to her. Kagome looked at the tree behind her and slowly outstretched her hand to stroke the bark where the forest spirit had been sealed for so long.**

 **"Guess I won't see you soon," she sighed. 'I just wish to see you again, to actually talk to you, get to know and understand you. Why did you not come back? What do you want of me? Are you waiting for me to become more like Kikyou too? Do you hate me because of what she had done to you?'**

 **She was almost at the edge of the forest when she remembered about her basket and ran back to the meadow. The basket was where she had left it, under the tree, but the food was gone - she found inside just a single acorn. When she picked it up it burst into blue flame which didn't burn her and then changed in a big bunch of wild flowers. Surprised she dropped the thing, but then picked it up and smiled while looking around. No one was there, but someone had to visit the meadow while she was gone and left a gift for the food. Kagome stroked the colorful petals and inhaled deeply their scent.**

 **"Thank you," she whispered and then went back home, her smile never fading, even when the flowers changed back into an acorn.**


	3. The First Snow

Summary:  
Recklessness leads to troubles.

A/N:  
Hi there! I finished editing this chapter the other night and decided to post it without making you wait longer - there is no saying when the fourth chapter will appear since I must do some heavy editing there and stuff.

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 **The First Snow**

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The days became colder, thick mists were often enveloping the village, cold rains were falling almost every day. Kagome was expecting the snow to fall soon. Her visits to the forest were rare and short, but each time she was carrying some food with herself to leave in the meadow, usually hanging from a low branch of a tree. Each time she got an acorn spelled with the same blue fire. At first she thought that those little gifts were from the forest spirit, but quickly she saw her mistake. He was an inu youkai, blue fire wasn't an inu youkai thing - it was one of kitsune magic tricks. That was puzzling - kitsune were rarely travelling through the Forest of Inuyasha, she didn't know abaout any living within its borders. So from where were the acorns coming from?

Kagome sat under a tree, wrapped in her mantle and stealing a glance at a branch nearby - there was her basket, tied to the tree limb with a white cloth, perfectly visible through naked branches. She had a few hours before the nightfall, there was no work waiting for her in the village and her mother was visiting a friend, so she had a perfect opportunity to see the acorn-giving person with her own eyes. 'If it's the forest spirit I could talk to him and see what he wanted of me... I don't feel like just sitting and waiting for him to show up at my door and demanding my life one day.'

Kagome was doing her best to focus on other things, but she felt as if she was hanging in mid-air above an abyss - not sure what her future held. Was the forest spirit even able to comprehend the passing of time and what the long wait was doing to her? She was already freezing every time she spotted something red with the corner of her eye, expecting to be struck by vicious claws. Many nights she had spend unable to fall asleep or dreaming about his return - she wasn't sure she could take it any longer 'How many days had passed since that night? Ten? No, fourteen since the first time I've got an acorn. That makes twenty one since the full moon, since I undid the seal. Why is he not coming back?'

Kagome always thought about the meadow as his - and hers - in a way. It was where he had been sealed for decades and she hoped here she could meet him again and confront him about his plans. If the acorn-giver wasn't him there was a chance it could be someone he knew, right? There was only one way to see it - to wait and hope the person would come today.

She hadn't to wait long, just around a half of an hour. First she heard some dry twigs snapping in a distance, then suddenly someone entered the meadow, jumping from under a bush and running to the place where the basket was hanging.

It definitely wasn't her forest spirit. It was a short boy with red hair and green eyes, clad in blue and green, tiny paws sticking from his pants along with a fluffy fox tail. The kid sniffed and smiled, his eyes never leaving the basket. Kagome was immediately amazed by the expression of utter joy and anticipation on his face, he seemed so innocent and playful.

"You must be really hungry." she smiled friendly when the boy jumped in surprise and turned to face her. She was expecting the kid to run away as soon as he noticed her, but he remained where he stood, staring at her, one hand reaching to a small purse tied to his belt. "Don't be afraid. You can have the food if you want to."

"I-I'm not afraid," the kitsune stated, shyly returning her smile and moving hi hand away from his purse. "I'm Shippou and you are Kagome, right?"

"Yes," Kagome stood up slowly and reached to untie the basket from the branch. The kid was observing her every move, but tension seemed to leave his little body as he saw her sitting back, putting the basket on the ground between them. "Go on, eat."

Shippou wasted no time, he approached the basket and took off it a dumpling. She was observing him eat for a long minute. His eyes never left her, watching her, but he didn't seem afraid of her, he even started to smile at her widely. Kagome was suspecting that it was because he thought he could always run away if he wanted. After all a human was no match for a youkai, even a kid. She decided to be calm and not scare him away, there were questions she wanted to ask.

"You made these, Kagome?" he asked after a while. She gave a small nod. It was nice to actually have a conversation with someone in the meadow, listening to the sounds of animals in some distance and wind blowing through treetops. In fact it was nice to talk to this boy, he didn't know who's reincarnation she was, he wasn't thinking she was cursed. He was a youkai and it was odd to have a conversation with one of his kin, but he wasn't scary or bloodthirsty as majority of youkai were - he was just a child.

"Yes. You like them?" Shippou nodded vigorously and helped himself to an another one. "From where do you know my name, Shippou?"

"Inuyasha told me," he said and proudly puffed his chest. "I'm watching over you and the forest since he's gone."

"Inu... You mean the forest spirit's gone?" Kagome blinked. The kitsune gave a nod and finally sat comfortably on a tree root. He licked his little fingers. His big eyes turned to look at her, full of sparks.

"Yeah, but don't worry, I am here to protect you," he assured her, his fluffy tail waving behind him.

"Oh," Kagome lowered her gaze to her hands resting on her lap. "Thank you for watching over the village when the forest spirit's not here, I guess..." she added and smiled at the kid who grinned with joy and pride, obviously glad that someone appreciated his hard work. She wondered if he actually could fight, he seemed so small and innocent. Yet kitsune were known to know a lot of magic tricks, maybe he was relying on those? And the forest spirit had left the woods - where did he go? And why?

And then a realization came to her - this little, friendly kitsune actually knew the forest spirit. He could shed some light on the mystery Inuyasha was. He could know where he was living, to where he went and when he was supposed to get back. The young woman almost cried in excitement as she looked at the boy again.

"You know him? From where?" she asked the first question of many she had, She hoped the child would answer, he seemed really pleased to talk to her so far.

"Yeah." he shrugged. "Kinda." As he saw her curious gaze he continued. "I live in his house since this summer. I mean Myoga let me in and then when Inuyasha came a few weeks ago he didn't let him kick me out..."

"Myoga?" Kagome frowned. Shippou picked an apple from the basket and rolled it in his small hands before taking a bite.

"A flea youkai, he's Inuyasha's vassal or something," he shrugged. "He found me when the thunder youkai killed my dad and brought me to this forest because my dad was Inuyasha's dad's follower and I had nowhere to go... So now I live in his den and watch over the forest when he's gone."

As the child spoke about his father's death his voice lost its cheerfulness and Kagome reacted to it before thinking. She reached out her hands and picked up the kid to pull him in a hug.

"Poor one!" she exclaimed, hugging the startled boy. After a moment he relaxed and wrapped an arm around her neck, still holding his apple in his other hand. Kagome felt really sorry for him, she could relate - he lost his dad recently and found himself alone in the world. This Myoga person was really a nice one to offer to help the orphan. In her mind she portrayed him a little like her adoptive mother who had took her in after she had lost her parents. "I'm so sorry for you."

"Don't worry, Kagome. I am a warrior, I can take care of myself," he assured her, but did nothing to leave her embrace, probably enjoying the warmth of her hug. She heard him inhale a few times before he continued. "You know, Inuyasha was right, you really smell nice, Kagome."

The memory of an another youkai holding his face pressed to the side of her neck flashed in her mind and Kagome gasped, her embrace loosening as she fought her embarrassment. Shippou jumped off her arms and sat just beside her. A part of her mind was surprised he hadn't flee after being released from a surprise hug.

"I... I do?" she uttered, staring down at the red-haired boy, who just smiled widely and nodded. "Thank you?"

"Kagome, do you want to see a trick?" he asked, lifting his apple before his face. The young woman smiled, feeling less awkward and glad that the sad tones disappeared from his voice. And that he chose not to continue the subject of her smell. The kitsune started to show her his magic and for a while she was focused on it, asking about the tricks, praising the orphan boy and finding a great pleasure in spending time with him. For the first time in weeks there was no thoughts about the unknown future and the forest spirit lurking in the back of her head.

o0o0o0o0o0o

Kagome was wandering through the forest, shivering not only because of cold night air, but also fear. Now she was regretting her decision to come here this evening. She was regretting it more than anything else in her entire life. 'I'm an idiot,' she thought.

She had spent with Shippou a lot of time, talking and watching his tricks. Then he had went with her to the edge of the forest where he invited her to visit him whenever she felt like it. As she had told him that she had no knowledge about the location of his home he had been more than willing to share the secret and give her all instructions how to find it. According to his words it wasn't very far and the land marks sounded easy to find.

When she had returned to the village she had learned her mother hadn't returned yet from the nearby village where she had been helping the village healer. So there was no one to talk Kagome out from following the plan which she had forged in the short time from parting with Shippou to reaching her hut. She quickly gathered her bow and arrows, packed a few things in a bag and went off the village again, deciding to find Shippou's house.

The forest spirit's house.

Now, a few hours later, she was regretting this hasty choice of action. Not long after she had left the village heavy gray clouds had covered the sky and the forest was now dark - with every minute it was getting darker as the day was fading into the night. Kagome shivered and wrapped her mantle around her tighter.

She was well aware of the fact that she was lost and she was just looking for a shelter to wait through the night - there was no chance now to find the way back home and she wasn't one to fool herself that she could find a meadow under a step hillside where Shippou was living. Yet she couldn't find any place good enough - there was no where to hide and the snow was falling around her constantly, obscuring the view and covering her patch. Maybe walking was a good thing, at least she was warm.

Kagome never feared the forest, but right now she was scared - and angry. 'How could I be so stupid? I knew the weather was to change soon and only an utter fool would go into the forest so late in the day to look for a place only heard of once! Why couldn't I wait until tomorrow? Why couldn't I turn around when the snow started to fall?' The cold wind was getting stronger, she was growing tired and cold - and there still was no place she could hide and wait the night through.

'I just had to rush out of the village to look for the forest spirit's house!' Kagome bit her bottom lip, cursing herself. She just wanted to see him again, talk to him, ask him... And now she'd freeze here and no one would find her! It was her fault for not thinking things through, for being stubborn and impatient. But there was a reason for her being so reckless.

"Stupid dog," she muttered as she entered a meadow, much larger than her favorite one. She knew she shouldn't blame the forest spirit for her stupid decision to go out today, it wasn't like he made her go to the forest... But he was the reason she was out here, not in her warm hut, waiting for her mother like a good daughter should. A part of her found it amusing - the reincarnation of a mighty, wise miko making such a reckless, stupid move. The glade was covered in snow and it seemed to be basked in light. Kagome lifted her head and saw that a part of the sky was cleaning, the stars glistering in the darkness, far and cold.

It took her a second to realize that she could use them to find her way back home. It made her smile, maybe there was a chance she wouldn't end frozen in middle of wildness just because she was an idiot. Fear morphed to relief as she adjusted her bag on her shoulder and stepped out from the treelike on the meadow, intending to study the sky. 'There will be a next time, and this time I will plan things before running into Inuyasha's Forest. Good that this adventure will end in short time with me happily falling asleep in my warm bed.'

Just as she thought that a strong cold wind came from the forest on the other side of the meadow and something moved in the shadows of trees. Kagome's eyes widened as a huge white boar entered the empty space, walking in a steady pace. The young woman covered her mouth, observing the beast walk through the snow. As it was moving closer it seemed that the air was getting colder, Kagome could see the snow swirling behind it. The boar noticed her and turned his head in her direction, she could see its hollow eyes glow blue as it fixed them on her. The sight of the beast was at the same time serene and terrifying. The air was leaving its lungs in white clouds, but she was sure it was not because its breath was hot against the air - it was the other way around. It was a frost boar, a beast which could froze everything just by breathing at it. According to legends the frost boars were often yuki onna's servants, bringing cold winds and freezing plants during early spring. The legends described them as blind beings, but this one could obviously see her. Kagome could only stare at the youkai, frozen to the spot where she stood. 'What does it do here, they're supposed to appear at the end of winter, not before it starts!'

"A human," the voice was deep and emotionless. It brought to her mind a vision of a lake covered in thick ice. "I could use a snack on my way to my mistress."

Kagome took a step back and then another one. The youkai chuckled, a sound deprived of joy or warmth. The boar turned his whole body in her direction - it wasn't really fast, but it didn't have too. It would be enough for it to breathe at her and she'd not be able to move, just watch it approach and do with her whatever it wanted. Fear gripped her heart again - but this time it was not a dull fear of being lost and unsure of where she was. Now it was a fear of a danger clad in flesh and radiating youki and cold. A very small part of her knew she should take her bow and shot the boar with an arrow, try to purify it when it was some distance away from her, but she couldn't reach for her weapon and using her power was still too new to her to become her second nature. She was staring in hollow blue eyes knowing that her worries about the forest spirit's plans were silly - there would be no next meeting, no touching his ears, no listening to his voice. She felt a pang of sadness for Shippou who really wanted to be friends with her, the kid was probably all alone in the forest spirit's dwelling.

'So that is my fate? To wander in the forest like an idiot, get lost and then killed by a frost boar?' she clenched her fists, feeling at the same time defeated and not wanting to give up. As the youkai lowered its head Kagome thought about her adoptive mother's smile and praises when she was preparing potions, the warmth of Shippou's smile, the sound of the forest spirit's voice in her ear, all the things she liked and which she wanted to experience... She had to do something, she couldn't let the youkai kill her like this, before she had a chance to...

Kagome turned on her heels and dove under the dark tree limbs, in the shadow of the forest, her shelter. Cold laughter and the sound of heavy steps followed her. She had to run if she couldn't fight. She prayed to find a way to flee the youkai. The forest was thick and there was a chance a beast as big as the boar couldn't move in it effectively enough to follow a human. The cold air - was it the breath of the youkai? - was following her as she was tripping over tree rots.

"There's no use to flee, human!" the boar's voice called after her, but Kagome didn't listen or turn to look at it. Her heart was gripped by fear and desperation, the desire to live, her steps unsteady as she was trying to make her numb legs move as fast as possible. The wood was quiet and deadly calm, as if everything was frozen, waiting to see the outcome of this affair. Kagome almost ran into a tree and avoided it in the last second. As she did a path of snow appeared before her eyes, a clean space where she could move faster. She quickly crossed it, the boar's laughter still ringing in her ears. Was he playing with her before it'd release it's deadly breath on her? Snow was swirling around her.

Something moved between the trees, she caught just a glimpse of red and white before it passed by her in a dazzling speed. Her ears registered a string of curses just as something small and warm landed on her shoulder.

"Kagome!" Shippou cried, his little arms wrapping around her neck as the kitsune clung to her. She gasped, instinctively reaching her hands to support him. His warm body was burning her where it touched her skin, but she hugged him tightly to herself.

"Go to hell, fuckin' bastard!" cried at the same time an another familiar voice behind her. Kagome took a few more steps before she came to stop and turned her head. Shippou moved in her embrace to look too.

The boar was just a ten meters from them, but it was no longer following her. It was more focused on something red jumping at it. The youkai breathed a cloud of white cold air, causing the snow around it to dance, at the advancing figure, but it was too slow, the red blur was already upon it. The previously silent forest filled with a sound of low growling, full of rage and blood lust. The boar let out an odd sound and attacked its opponent.

Kagome was watching the short fight petrified and unable to move as if the white breath of the boar was holding her frozen to the spot where she stopped. She could feel Shippou's warm body draped over her shoulder, but couldn't look away from the forest spirit. It was him, it wasn't a dream, he was actually there, her Inuyasha came - that was all she could think about. In this moment she didn't even remember that he could just turn around and take her life, she was grateful that he was here. Shippou was talking to her something in a worried tone, but all she could do was to shake her head gently.

He had been pinned to his tree motionless, in deep sleep. Now he was all motion and action, fast enough to make following him with a gaze a hard task. Kagome thought about the village the day after he had killed the attacking youkai - the youkai had had no chance against the might of the forest spirit, the guardian of the forest. So didn't the boar - in a matter of minutes she saw it fall to its knees, bleeding from many deep claws-inflicted wounds running down the side of its neck and sides, blue blood flowing to the ground and hissing at the contact with the snow under its feet. The heavy head lowered until it touched the ground.

She had no chance to see the beast die there as something red obscured her vision. Kagome lifted her gaze from the crimson cloth and beheld the deepest of scowls, golden eyes full of fury, bare fangs glistering in the faint light of the stars, ears pressed against his head. With a small yelp Shippou jumped off her shoulder immediately, as if afraid of the forest spirit.

"Inu... Inuyasha..." she spoke his name in a small voice - still feeling a little odd using it since everyone who dared to speak about him were referring to him as the forest spirit. For some reason the expression of anger on his face didn't raise fear in her. Quite opposite, she felt relieved and safe. All tension left her when she was facing this obviously annoyed man. She was simply glad the boar wouldn't change her into an icicle at this moment and ha no strength to worry about something else.

"You idiot!" he barked at her as she reached a hand to touch him, to make sure he was real, not an illusion, not one of her daydreams. She gripped the rough red fabric and smiled at this simple touch, the feeling of the warm fabric under her fingertips. "O-oi, wench..."

The rest of his words faded in darkness as Kagome fell forward.

A/N:  
I totally made up frost boars, but I promise to try to stick to Japanese mythology more in next chapters. Just wanted to make things interesting for everyone.  
And, hey, the dork... I mean dog youkai's back with us! Guess soon we'll see why he made Kagome wait and will answer all questions she has... Or nope Besides let me know if you'd prefer to get chapters titled, it's up to you, I can do it or leave them untitled


	4. Dreams

Summary: Kagome dreams.

A/N:  
Hi, guys! Since the next chapter grew a little too long for my liking I decided to cut it in two uneven parts - this one will be quite short, but the next one'll be much longer. Hope it'll be to your liking

* * *

 **Dreams**

* * *

Kagome was drifting in her sleep. Her dreams were coming and going, changing in a way she couldn't predict. A part of her mind was aware these visions and feelings weren't real and tried to remember as many details as possible to tell them later to her mother - such odd dreams had to be important visions, not just products of her imagination. For a change her dreams were giving her a sense of safety and peacefulness.

She dreamt of flying above treetops, the world painted in white of the snow and starlight and black of tree limbs. The cold wind was blowing in her face, but the rest of her body was pressed against something radiating heat - still she was shivering. She pressed her face against something silky soft and like long strands of hair or fur to hide from the wind as she fell in the darkness again, feeling weightless and free. Kagome rarely had dreams about flying and never like this. The sensations of the air moving around her, her hair being pulled back, the branches swaying under her were so real. She really wanted to enjoy this dream, but she was so cold and tired... Did she uncover herself in her sleep? Kagome curled closer to the source of warmth, sighing as the soft darkness enveloped her.

Next dream was full of steam and smell of a wet dog. She was again floating, but in water this time, not air. She could feel the warm liquid move against her body, her wet kosode clinging to her skin. She could hear voices echoing around her, as if she was in a cave. She was too tired to really follow the conversation of three voices around her - one of an old man, one of a worried child and one of an annoyed young man. The water in her dream was making her body relax and she felt warm, so she figured out that she had to find a blanket and cover herself in her sleep.

The dream changed suddenly - she felt a pair of arms sneaking under her and lifting her from her warm watery bed. She felt a shiver run down her body as the water started dripping down her wet robe and body. Kagome moved closer to the source of warmth, drawing a gasp-like sound from it. It went still for a long while, but she didn't mind as long as she was warm and could stay motionless. Her body was tired even in her sleep. A thought that the crazy trip to the forest at night was a bad idea came to her mind and disappeared after a moment. As long as her mother wasn't waking her up she wanted to forget about reality. The dream was so pleasant... And it still smelled of a wet dog.

In a blink of a proverbial eye the dream morphed again, but some feelings were lasting. She felt warm, comfortable and safe. Even when in her vision she was again standing on the edge of the meadow, facing the white boar, she couldn't feel fear. She could sense the cold trying to approach her, the beast staring at her with hate in its hollow eyes, but it couldn't reach her within the red youki wrapping itselt around her protectively. waving, pulsing...

A strong pulse of youki in close proximity was what awoke her. Brown eyes snapped open and in an instant beheld her surroundings as she was looking for a raging youkai attacking.

A/N 2: Really, I'm waiting as impatiently as you to get them both to actually talk to each other.  
Also I appreciate all kinds of feedback - if you don't like my stories it's okay. Just, please, tell me what exactly is annoying/boring/whatever, so I can improve my writing, ok?


	5. The Den

Summary: A girl in dog's den  
A/N: Kagome's adventure in the forest has a happy ending... I mean she met the forest spirit again... Now all she has to do is to pin him to a wall and make him start talking. Too bad she has no arrows to pin him to a wall with.

* * *

 **The Den**

* * *

A pulse of youki in close proximity was what awoke her. Brown eyes snapped open and in an instant beheld her surroundings as she was looking for a youkai attacking.

Kagome was laying on a bed made from furs, a blanket covering her entire body. She could see wooden walls and ceiling of an unfamiliar room. She could see shadows of flames dancing on a wall just to her left. On her right someone was sitting, facing away from her. Kagome's eyes widened as she took in the image of a silver-white mane covering a red-clad back, still a little damp and smelling like a wet dog.

'I found the source of the youki, I guess,' she thought.

"Master, you should lay down under the blanket beside her if you want to warm her," came an old man's voice from the other side of the sitting forest spirit. The forest spirit growled as the youki pulsed again.

"She's plenty warm to me," he replied and moved his arm, a sound of something being squished reached her ears, followed by a painful sigh. Kagome felt a hot blush cover her cheeks and suddenly she became aware she was wearing only a damp kosode. She was pondering where the rest of her belongings was when she heard a familiar child's voice.

"Will she be alright, Inuyasha? The boar didn't breathe at her?" she felt a small smile form on her lips as she heard worry in Shippou's voice.

"Keh! She'll be fine, runt. You, on the other hand..." Kagome almost gasped as the forest spirit bolted into motion, jumping in direction from which Shippou's voice was coming. The girl could see now the rest of the room and Shippou sitting near a table on the other side of the chamber. The kitsune yelped and tried to run away, but the forest spirit caught him by his tail just before he reached the door. Before Kagome could do or say something the growling forest spirit lifted his fist to hit the kid, but the fox quickly pasted a strap of paper to his wrist. In a poof of blue smoke the child disappeared from the grip of the inu youkai, replaced by a bag of something heavy. The forest spirit squatted, dragged down by the weight of the bag. Immediately he reached his free hand and directed a hit on a pillow discarded near the table. The pillow made a small cry of surprise and changed in the kid, holding his head with both hands, hissing in pain. The whole affair took just a few seconds.

"You!" Shippou glared daggers at the forest spirit who freed his wrist from the rope attaching the bag to him. He was scowling, but his growl subsided and he was moving without haste.

"Next time think before you tell people where the den is, brat," barked the forest spirit as he was looking at the little fox. Kagome frowned and made an attempt to sit up and speak her mind. Even if Shippou had broke a rule that wasn't the way to treat a little child. She managed to lift herself on one elbow before her movement was stopped by a clawed hand pressing on her shoulder. "Don't get up. wench," came a gruff command from above her.

As she looked up her eyes were captured by golden gaze. A sigh escaped her mouth as she surrendered and resumed her previous position. Still, she had to voice what she had in mind, no matter how fascinating these eyes were. She felt the pressure of his hand disappear as he removed it from her shoulder, simply crouching beside the bed and observing her, as if examining her face. Was he looking for something? Was he trying to find fear or something else in her eyes?

"You shouldn't be mean to a kid, forest spirit," she said, trying to sound firm and humble at the same time. She wanted to make him realize she didn't approve this behavior, but didn't want to annoy the youkai. After all he was the protector of the forest and had saved her just a few hours ago. A spark of amusement twinkled in his eye, causing her to frown.

"Keh!" was her only reply.

"He's a little child," she reminded him. "There's no need to be so violent."

"He's a youkai," he reminded her immediately "He's older than you." The forest spirit was observing her motionlessly for another minute, his eyes and ears focused on her until one of his ears swiveled back. A second later Shippou jumped on the bed just beside her head and looked at her, his big eyes full of concern.

"Are you alright, Kagome? Do you want something to eat or drink?" he asked. It took her a moment to push away the information that this little, cute boy was older than her - he looked and acted like a young child after all. She knew kitsune were growing tails as they were growing older and stronger - Shippou, even in older than herself, had to still be a very young fox since he had only one tail.

"Some food would be nice, Shippou," she replied kindly after a second. 'He lost his family, I wonder if he's afraid of losing a friend and so worried about my health.' "And I am fine, don't worry. Just tired and a little cold."

"Okay, I'll bring you food," Shippou gave her a wide grin. "But I must warn you, Inuyasha can't cook as good as you."

"Get off my back, fox," the older youkai barked and Shippou chuckled, running off the room. Kagome followed his retreating tail with her eyes, then turned them to look at the forest spirit.

He was looking down at her again and she couldn't do anything else than gaze back at him. The forest spirit's ears moved again, perking up and turning in her direction, as if he was listening to something - her breath? Her heartbeat? Suddenly Kagome realized that she was alone in an unknown place - his den - with a breathtakingly handsome youkai staring down at her with intense gaze she couldn't read. 'What is he thinking about...?'

Kagome licked her lips nervously, readying herself to speak, after all she had decided to come here to talk to him, to ask questions and get answers. She had to know what he was planning, she wanted to know more about him than just his name and a handful of old stories. She had to do something - anything - before losing her courage. She had thought about this moment, talking to him and learning about his plans, for so many days and nights, but now, when he was so close she could reach him easily, she found herself hesitant to break the silence. How could she think that she was powerful enough to force the protector of the forest to do or say anything against his will? She was strong enough to feel the youki surrounding her, but too weak to be a threat to the forest spirit. Surely he knew about his superiority. Had she any chance to return home safely? Would her questions anger him and cause her quick death? The girl swallowed - she couldn't take waiting in uncertainty any longer, even if she'd make him angry she had to know what he wanted of her. Before she could speak the forest spirit lowered his head and inhaled deeply a few times. 'Is he smelling me? Does he want to eat me...?'

"Stupid wench," he stated in a casual tone, his clawed hands resting on his knees.

"Don't call me that, forest spirit. I have a name and you know it," she said, quite proud of herself because she didn't stutter. In fact his rude words made some of her anxiety change into annoyance - the twinkle in his eyes told her he heard it in her voice even if she tried to sound humble in face of the being responsible for safety of her village and owing her life.

"Stop forest spiriting me then I'll think about using your name," he replied immediately and gave her an arrogant smirk. "So, you're often wandering around in my forest and bothering youkai?"

A small part of Kagome wanted to wipe this smirk off his face - preferably with her fist. Still, she reminded herself it would be probably the shortest way to get killed. 'He wasn't like this in my daydreams,' she thought, sighing inwardly. 'Well, I have a chance to get to know the real one.'

"I wanted to visit Shippou," she replied. It was a part of the truth, after all. She had food and a few small gifts for him in her bag. 'Where is it, anyway?' For some reason the forest spirit's ears drooped. "And I wanted to talk to you." The last sentence earned her an image of his ears perking up immediately just to lay flat against his head the next second while his body tensed. His smirk morphed to a hopeful expression then to a scowl in matter of seconds, his golden eyes narrowed and lost the sparks of merriment.

"About what?" he asked, cautiously. 'He looks almost like he's nervous,' Kagome realized in shock, forgetting about her own fear for a little second, trying to understand the being crouching beside her bed.

"About our deal," she sat up slowly, hugging the blanket to herself. She felt much better sitting, even when her sore muscles were protesting. Kagome took a deep breath and focused her eyes on the forest spirit. This time he didn't try to stop her from sitting up.

She had been waiting for so long to see him awake, to learn the color of his eyes, the sound of his voice. She had been hoping to have a friend in him, even if it was silly to hope to befriend a youkai - even good ones were avoiding contact with humans, while humans were treating them cautiously or with fear. Since his awakening she couldn't stop thinking about him, trying to find answers for herself.

Now she managed to find him and was about to get answers. Kagome was at the same time excited, more than a bit afraid, uncertain, hopeful and nervous. Anxiety and hope filled her heart. The restless nights of thinking about the deal would not continue. She had a chance to interact with him in real life, not in dreams. He was awake and she was in his den - this thought was a boost to her courage and anxiety at the same time. 'Will he kill me now? Or will he demand of me something else? Or maybe... Is it really so stupid to hope to become his friend? The previous miko was close to him... And then sealed him - I guess I should hope for staying alive, not for becoming his friend...' The young woman cleared her throat, but her words got stuck in there. Before she could say anything them the forest spirit's nose twitched and his scowl deepened.

"Listen, wench," the youkai growled, but not in a threatening manner. "I'm not killin' you, so quit worryin'."

Kagome let her breath out.

"Eh...?"

"I can smell your fear, human," he stated sharply, as if he was annoyed. "And I can smell you're still not feeling well." His eyes locked with hers, firm and intense, not leaving her space to argue with him. "I'm not letting you out of the den until you smell healthy, so we can talk about the deal later."

'What?! Later?! I don't want to wait! I waited for three weeks!'

"Why not now?" she asked, butting her bottom lip She felt he was slipping from her grasp - the feeling intensified because he stood up and took a step back, his hands wandering inside his sleeves as he crossed his arms on his chest. "Forest spirit..."

"Because the runt and the flea are eavesdropping," he replied. "And I have places to go today. So for now eat and rest, we'll talk later, wench."

"Alright," she sighed after a minute of simply staring at him, figuring out that she had no other option at this point. 'Who knows what he'd do if I tried to argue? At least I know he doesn't want to kill me,' she thought. That was a big relief, but Kagome was pretty sure she'd not relax until they had a chance to talk more. Still, hope sparkled in her heart. "I-Inuyasha?"

The forest spirit stopped on his way to the door and made a small noise indicating he was listening. One ear turned to face her.

"You're not going to leave me waiting for weeks, right?" she asked. The forest spirit's ears twitched.

"No, I won't," Shippou entered the room with a tray containing a big bowl and two cups in his hands. "Keep her company, runt," the forest spirit said to the kid. Shippou looked up at him.

"Where are you going, Inuyasha?" he asked. "It's not..."

"I have things to do in my forest," the older youkai replied and stole a glance at Kagome, still sitting on her bed. "I lost enough time waiting for her to wake up. You two keep eye on her, she can't get cold. And don't leave the den."

With this final order he just left, not letting anyone say another word - as if he was expecting everyone to follow his demands obediently. Kagome let out a breath she was holding and dropped her gaze to Shippou's face. The kitsune walked to her and put the tray beside her.

"And there he went, leaving us alone again," the boy shook his head.

"I guess I must learn to be patient," she sighed and picked up a cup of hot tea. Shippou sat beside her on the edge of the bed and took one for himself.

"I presume the master went to hunt down the mistress of the frost boar which attacked you, lady Kagome," said a voice of an old man and Kagome lifted her gaze to look around, trying to find the source of it. She realized that she had heard this voice before, but never had a chance to see the old person. "Upon finding her pet killed she could froze the whole forest in her rage. And since your health isn't in danger..."

"Excuse me?" she asked, finally, fixing her gaze on Shippou. The kid smiled at her and motioned to the edge of the pillow. Kagome looked this way and saw a tiny youkai. 'A flea,' she realized observing him.

"My apologies for not speaking earlier, I was merely..." started the flea youkai.

"He was afraid to draw Inuyasha's attention," Shippou grinned.

"I didn't, Shippou. And you would do the same after being squished three times during one hour," the flea retorted and then turned to face Kagome again. "My name is Myoga, lady Kagome, I'm master Inuyasha's faithful vassal."

"Don't believe him, he's the first to run when it gets dangerous," Shippou added and offered Kagome the bowl and chopsticks. "Better eat while it's warm, Kagome," he said, pretending not to notice the painful glance the flea turned at him.

"It's nice to meet you, Myoga," Kagome accepted the bowl and looked at the food inside - the food cooked by the forest spirit himself - it was a simple dish of rice and meat with some vegetables. It took Kagome a few bites to realize that Shippou was right - her host wasn't a good cook and it seemed spices weren't existing in his world. It was an another little piece of knowledge about him she stored in her mind for later. 'Later,' she thought, remembering the look on his face and his lowered ears. The young woman sighed - as long as she was here she could still hope to get her answers. 'Is he testing my patience? Or is he just trying to see if I give up? Well, I'm not giving up. I left the village looking for answers and I'm not going back without them.' Then she remembered Myouga words. 'The boar's mistress... So the forest spirit left me just as I woke up to fight her, huh? He really does his best to protect his domain...'

"Wanna me to show you around?" Shippou's voice brought her from her musings. She looked at the child and gave a wide smile. At least she wasn't alone, she had her fox friend. And the whole den of the forest spirit to see - who knew what she could discover about him? The young healer put her chopsticks and empty bowl down and picked her tea - it was bitter, but she figured out that was all she could get right now. She was sure Shippou did his best. Kagome promised herself to give him her gifts and teach him how to prepare good tea soon. The boy was looking at her hopefully, it was obvious he was just waiting for her to finish eating before he asked his question, anticipating her answer. 'He must feel pretty lonely here, especially when the forest spirit's gone.'

"This sounds like fun, but I need to get dressed first. Do you know where my clothes are?" she asked, a little embarrassed. It dawned at her that someone had to undress her and, judging from the damp kosode and her hazy dreams, put her in a hot spring. She felt her cheeks grew hot as a memory of wet silver mane and a specific smell came to her mind. 'He did it. He carried me here and kept me warm until I woke up...'

"I think Inuyasha left them beside the hot spring, along with your stuff," Shippou confirmed her suspicions. "But they're wet and cold and you can't wear them," he added. Myoga jumped on his shoulder, as if in an attempt to get their attention.

"I think I can remedy this, young Shippou," he stated and smiled at Kagome. "Since the young master isn't here at this time it is only right for me, his loyal servant, to answer all your questions, lady Kagome, and to fulfill all your wishes. It is my duty to make sure you enjoy your time here."

Kagome smiled back at the old flea. His words were formal, but the tone of his voice and the look on his tiny face were genuine and friendly. 'It seems the youkai court of the forest spirit likes me more than my own kinsmen,' she thought and it made her at the same time amused and sad. She pushed this thought and emotions accompanying it away, focusing on the two small youkai in front of her.

"If you have any wishes or questions I'll gladly comply. In return I ask of you only a few drops of your blood," Myoga continued, his voice growing hopeful as his gaze landed on her exposed wrist.

"I thought Inuyasha forbid you from butting her," the kitsune tilted his head and sparks of hope disappeared from Myouga's eyes. Kagome frowned at the request of the flea and the fox's amused statement, then shook her head.

"I don't mind one little bite, as long as I get some clothes," she assured the two youkai. The flea looked up at her with rekindled hope in his eyes. "So where can we find them?"

"Ah, yes, follow me, young lady," Myoga gave a last glance full of longing in direction of her exposed neck before turning and jumping off Shippou's shoulder. Kagome wrapped the blanket around herself and followed him, Shippou waling beside her. The kitsune kindled a small ball of fox fire to lit a dark corridor outside of the room.

"You're warm, right, Kagome?" he looked up into her face, concern in his expressive eyes. The young miko smiled at him and nodded.

"'I'm fine," she assured him. "Just want to take off my under robe, it's wet."

"Told him to take it off you, but he didn't listen," the boy shook his head. "It wasn't dirty or anything, so he could just put it on you later."

'Oh, goodness, I'm so thankful he didn't do it!' Kagome blushed fiercely at the mere thought. It was bad enough that the forest spirit took off her outer layers while she was unconscious. She thought that her next dream she wouldn't tell anyone (and especially her mother!) about would surely feature a hot spring, intense golden eyes looking down at her hungrily and a pair of clawed hands tearing her heavy, wet garments off her shoulders.

Definitely, Kagome wasn't cold at this moment. 'Focus! Clothes!' she thought, using all her willpower to focus on something else. Myoga was riding on Shippou's shoulder, providing a good distraction as he started to tell her and the young fox about the dwelling of his master.

"The mansion was built by master Inuyasha's unholy father," the old flea stated. "It was a gift for the master's noble mother and the late lord made sure the mansion couldn't be attacked by youkai. You see, young lady, the unholy Great Dog had many foes and he knew even more youkai would seek his beloved mate and their son, so he ordered a barrier to be risen around this place. Only those without youki or those who get invitation from the young master can enter this place. So you have nothing to worry, as long as you stay within this walls no harm will come your way."

"That's a relief," Kagome said. Well, this was something - Myoga didn't even realize how many information he gave her with this little lecture.

"Humans with spiritual powers must be invited too. Oh, here," Myoga started to jump on Shippou's shoulder and pointed to a door. "Go inside."

Kagome slid the said door open and entered just behind Shippou.

"I've never been here," the boy said, looking around curiously, his ball of blue fire growing a bit brighter to reveal more details of things stocked in the chamber.

"You have a lot to learn about this place, young Shippou," Myoga said in a paternal tone. While they were walking the girl beside them looked around. The chamber was a little bigger than the room she had woken up in. There were many chests under the walls and some big objects under white pieces of fabric. "This was the room of master Inuyasha's noble mother. Try to open this chest," the flea youkai directed their attention to a big box under one of the walls. To Kagome's surprise the lid was quite easy to remove. Shippou peeked inside the chest and she quickly followed his motion.

"Clothes?" she said as she saw neatly folded colorful fabric. She heard Myoga sigh.

"I'm glad to see that the spell holds," he said more to himself than to his companions. Seeing Kagome's puzzled expression he explained: "There are spells on these chests to keep things inside from aging. Go on, lady Kagome, choose a robe for yourself."

The young woman turned to look inside the box again and saw Shippou already reaching in and removing bundles of clothes.

"I'll find something pretty for you, Kagome," he said, excitement in his voice. 'You're an explorer, huh?'

"Okay," she nodded, letting the child empty the chest on the floor. 'These are kimonos of forest spirit's mother,' she realized as she reached a hand to touch a piece of clothing laid just beside her. She turned to Myoga. "Are you sure we can take one of these? They look so expensive..."

"I don't see why not," the flea replied, his voice reassuring. "There's no one else here who could wear them and you said yourself you need a robe."

"Well, yes, but these belonged to his mother," Kagome said looking around the room again. She turned to face Myoga and the flea shrugged.

"She died a long time ago," Myoga waved a hand. "She got injured and the wound was very serious. It'd be fatal for many youkai, lady Izayoi as a human had no chance to heal."

Kagome blinked at his statement.

"The forest spirit's mother was a human?" she leaned forward as if being closer to the flea could make him tell her more. He nodded.

"Yes. I'm surprised you didn't know that master Inuyasha is a hanyou." the old youkai jumped to the side to make more space for Shippou to use.

"There's not much known about the forest spirit," Kagome explained. "No one saw him in a very long time and until just recently some were saying he was just a myth."

"I suppose you'll see him often now, since he's unsealed," Myoga smiled at her and Kagome felt a spark of pride. She undid the seal of a powerful miko, even if she wasn't so strong herself. She wanted to ask more about the forest spirit, but Shippou caught their attention.

"What's in the other boxes?" Shippou stole a curious glance at other containers in the room.

"Well, jewelry and other things princess Izayoi brought with herself and got from the Great Dog," Myoga waved his hand. "But they're not sorted like the robes."

"We can check them out later," the little fox gave a nod and laid a kimono on Kagome's lap. It was blue and had a pattern of pink butterflies. "This' pretty."

"Oh, yes," she smiled at him. "Let's find an obi and an under robe so we can try it, okay?"

Shippou smiled and almost jumped in the box, pushing aside various fabrics..

"Yeah. And then we can go explore the den." Now it was Kagome's turn to smile and nod.

A few hours later Kagome was sitting in the room where she had woken up, Shippou curled in a ball on the bed beside her. She stroked his red hair while resting her back against a wall. She was so tired and felt a little cold despite the thick fabric of her robes. All the information Myoga had shared with her was making her thoughts spin a little in her head. Until this day she knew almost nothing about the forest spirit while he knew practically all her secrets. Now she felt a little better informed and prepared to face him. Kagome knew he was a hanyou, that beside inheriting youkai blood from his father he had a human heart from his mother and a part of her found comfort in this knowledge. She knew now that in the past he was rarely leaving his forest, that he disliked being called the forest spirit, that he hated his ears getting wet... 'First I knew almost nothing, now I got almost too much to remember,' she thought wryly and stroked Shippou's hair. She had learned more about the kitsune as well. He had no family now, but was willing to adapt this house as his home and Kagome hoped her friendship could fill the empty place in his little heart. It was surprising how attached to the little youkai she felt and how much fun she had roaming the old mansion with him and Myoga - she couldn't remember the last time she had so much fun spending time with others. And even if they were pointing out that she, as a human, was inferior to youkai kin, she couldn't sense hate in their words. They accepted her for who and what she was, didn't expect her to act aloof or like a holy priestess. It was refreshing and she felt her heart being so light. Myoga was so polite and talkative, Shippou had a big, loving heart - it was sometimes hard to remember they were youkai, supposed to be vile and twisted. And the forest sp- Inuyasha was still a riddle, but she figured out some border parts of it and felt a bit reassured. The calm, quiet atmosphere of the den was soothing, Kagome felt safe and the previous exploration of the mansion, along with pleasant interactions with her new friends, put her mind at ease.

The flea was gone, Shippou was snoring gently and Kagome wanted to use this quiet time to think about all new things she had learned this past few hours, yet she felt so tired that she wanted just to close her eyes for a while, shield them from the soft glow of the fire... Her heavy eyelids fell down and her hand, resting on top of Shippou's head, fell limply on the bed beside her.

A pulse of youki.

Kagome's eyes snapped open as she lifted her head rapidly, her eyes looking around just to be captured by a pair of golden orbs in close proximity.

"Some miko you are," Inuyasha snorted. "You didn't feel me approach. No wonder the frost bastard came so close to you."

"I never said I'm strong." she replied. "And I never thanked you. Thank you, Inuyasha, for saving me."

"Keh," he shrugged. "The runt was panicking, I had no other choice than to gut the bastard."

Somehow this arrogant reply brought a little smile to her lips. His ears kicked forward and Kagome once more felt the urge to rub them - she resisted it, knowing now he hated when people were paying attention to them. His dog ears were the sign of his mixed blood.

"Besides I knew no bad youkai could come to your den," she replied, her voice quiet. This statement drew a snort from the man crouching just before her.

"Myoga told you, huh?" his ears twitched as his gaze drifted down and up her body, his yellow eyes growing wider, Kagome felt a small blush cover her cheeks. "And you found mother's clothes.

"I'm sorry, I know I should ask for permission, but Myoga told me it's okay to borrow this robe..." she said hurriedly, afraid that he could feel annoyed or offended by her wearing something belonging to his mother - according to Myouga's words he loved her deeply. To her surprise she didn't see a glint of anger in his eyes. The forest spirit shrugged.

"It's fine. It looks... Good on you," the youkai reached one clawed hand to touch a pink butterfly on her sleeve, tilting his head slightly. Yellow eyes lifted from the spot where his hand was touching when he heard her little gasp. Kagome couldn't help but smile at the compliment. "But really... What sane person would pick a green obi?"

"Why, you..." Kagome growled, the smile and blush retreating from her face. The youkai grabbed her wrist. She could glimpse determination on his face.

"Come, you wanted to talk," he pulled her and Kagome barely had time to remove Shippou's head from her lap before he dragged her out of the room.

A/N 2:  
Me: "Hey, Inu, where are you going? Kagome wants answers, I want to write about you two and there are readers wanting to see the almighty forest spirit talk to the miko-in-making."  
Inu: "Shut your mouth."  
Me: "If you try to run away again I will make her put beads on you."  
Inu: ~growls~ "Don't you dare!"  
Me: "OK, OK, no beads!" ~watches him go away~ "For now."


	6. The Talk

Summary: Meet Inuyasha, the Duke of Procrastination and the Master of Rudeness!  
A/N  
It was the hardest to write chapter so far, hope it's to your liking - please, let me know what you think!

* * *

 **The Talk**

* * *

Kagome sat down beside a fire pit, watching Inuyasha kindle the fire. He was quiet all the way from the other room, his whole body was tensed and his ears were often pressed against his skull - until he was realizing it and forcing them to perk up. As he was feeding the fire small pieces of dry wood Kagome stole a glance around, trying to calm down her pounding heart.

They were in what Myouga had called 'the master's room'. It was a tidy chamber - tidy in a way only rarely used rooms can be. It contained a simple bedding in one corner, a wooden chest in another and an old katana hanging on the wall nearest to her.

"That's Tessaiga," Kagome turned to look at the forest spirit, who was looking at the sword. "As useless on the wall as it is on my hip."

Those words made her curiosity arise. Why was the sword useless? Was it because the forest spirit didn't need it to fight? Was it a heirloom? His voice was bitter as he said the name of the sword and he turned his attention back to the fire quickly. She had to ask Myouga later - Kagome felt that asking Inuyasha would just annoy him, at least right now. This decided she turned her attention to the youkai who finally threw a few bigger pieces of wood in the fire and sat near it, his legs crossed. He looked nervous and determined, focusing at something as if afraid that a second of distraction could cause him to forget it or lose his words. 'He looks as if he's going to fight in a battle,' Kagome mused.

They were looking at each other for a long while, finally Kagome dropped her sight to her hands and started to play with the hem of her sleeve. Her own anxiety started to rise again. She could feel his inhuman eyes scan her face and she bit her bottom lip, shifting nervously. 'So... Will I get answers now? Will he tell me what he wants of me? Can I... Can I give him whatever he wants? What if he orders me to become his slave and never go to the village?'

"For a while I was sure you're that bitch," his voice, low and gruff, caused her to lift her head and look at him. It took a second for her to realize who 'that bitch' was. 'Kikyou?' "You can't blame me. The last thing I remember was me chasing that fucker who came to my forest and destroyed your stupid village and Kikyou helping that bastard escape. She pinned me to a tree with her fuckin' arrow and last thing I saw was her ugly face." Something dangerous twinkled in his eyes and Kagome felt a shiver run down her spine. "They wanted to get rid of me and a few destroyed huts was all it took to make my 'friend' seal me, no questions asked."

"Oh," Kagome uttered. The story of the forest spirit suddenly attacking the village he had been protecting for decades she knew seemed to be different from the one he knew. 'Was Kikyou not the one who had betrayed his love? Was she not the one who awoke his rage? Was it not that her relationship with an another man caused the forest spirit's ire, so great that only by sealing her beloved the miko could save her kinsmen?'

"So," the forest spirit didn't give her time to ponder the matter of the story. "When I woke up I assumed the one lifting the spell had to be that bitch."

"I am not her," Kagome shifted on her place again and dared to look at him. There was just a hint of bitterness in her voice. 'I'm just a weak copy.' "I am not Kikyou."

"I know that," he shrugged, one ear twitching. "You don't look much like her, you smell much better than she ever could hope to smell, your voice is different and your spiritual powers are so weak I have to lean in your direction to feel anything."

"Excuse me for not being a strong miko," Kagome bit her bottom lip again, frowning at him and clenching her fists, yet a part of her was happy to hear his confirmation. Somehow it made her feel better to know that she was so much different from 'that bitch' who had sealed him all those years ago.

"Keh." Her glare earned her a small smirk from the hanyou, a fang peeking from behind his lip. Then he grew serious and his eyes dropped to the fire. His voice was quiet when he spoke again. "I wasn't aware of time passing when I was under the spell. There was just darkness and silence. And loneliness," his ears drooped, then perked up again. "Then, suddenly, dreams started. Dreams where I could smell something good and hear someone's voice babbling to me about shit. Sometimes I could make words, sometimes it was just an unreadable noise. I was sure I finally lost my sanity, but was pretty happy - that was much better than the darkness and silence." For a moment she could see something akin to gratitude in his face.

Golden eyes looked straight into hers, fire reflected in his pupils, intense and beautiful and Kagome realized he was talking about her and her monologues. She could easily see he was struggling with words, explaining himself or talking for a longer time had to be something he wasn't used to. He seemed to repeat something he had prepared in his mind. It warmed her heart when she realized that such confessions weren't his style, but he was still making an effort to verbalize things he wanted her to know. A part of her had been pretty sure that the forest spirit wanted to finish their talk as quickly as possible, after all he didn't look really thrilled to talk to her. 'I am glad he wants to explain that to me, but I think I'd like to know what he plans first,' she thought, but didn't find courage to ask him to hurry up. So she decided to focus on something else for now, something that was on her mind almost as often as her worries about the nature of their deal.

"You didn't hear it all?" Kagome asked, feeling her fists clench once more.

"I was sure I was hallucinating, so I didn't bother to focus or remember that shit as long as I could hear your voice," the hanyou shrugged. "Usually," his both ears twitched and Kagome smiled against her will - the two white triangles were the cutest and softest things she knew. Maybe the rest of the world saw them only as disgusting markings of a youkai blood, but she couldn't see them this way. Her fingers itched to massage them.

'So, some of the things I told him he doesn't know or remember.' Kagome looked down to her lap. A wave of relief went through her - some of the topics she had talked to him about were stupid, many times she was just frustrated about people of her village being idiots. They were quiet for a long while, Kagome trying to sort all the things he had told her in her mind. 'Now I must just figure out what he remembers.'

"You brought me out from the darkness," the forest spirit said, his voice softer than before, his eyes directed at the fire. Kagome tensed, realizing that he decided to focus on the few minutes they had shared just after his awakening. She swallowed, forgetting about everything else. "And I wanted to kill you - as I said I was almost sure you were that bitch - but the seal held me long enough for me to realize you weren't her. You were the girl from my crazy dreams, the one who had no fear of coming to me and spending time around a sealed youkai. You smelled..." Golden eyes closed for a moment and she saw him inhale deeply. He noticed her holding her breath and a spark of mischief twinkled in his eye when he continued. "...Like a scared shitless weakling."

"This weakling broke the seal on you," she growled. 'The forest spirit, Kagome. A powerful guardian of the forest. He'll make sure no youkai would attack the village. You promised him your life. Don't anger him. Stay calm, Kagome. You can do it. Breathe... You're going to be a miko, you must keep yourself under control...'

"Yeah," the amusement quickly faded from his voice and expression, his battle-face returning. The forest spirit put his hands in his sleeves. "You freed me. I saved your stupid village. I think we're even," the youkai stated and visibly relaxed, as if pleased with himself for telling her everything he had planned to tell her. She noticed on his face the expression of pride of fulfilling a hard task.

'Excuse me, what...?'

He had to see the expression on her face, because he flinched.

"Look, just forget I made you promise that, okay? It was the full moon," the forest spirit looked away. His latter words would probably catch her curiosity, but right now she just ignore this remark.

"So... You want to cancel our deal?" she asked, her voice very calm. The forest spirit nodded and gave a small smile, obviously not noticing her brow twitching.

"Yeah. I thought about it after the sunrise and since I don't want to kill you and you probably wouldn't want..." he got quiet for a second. "There's noting I want from you, human," he finished firmly.

"And when exactly did you plan to tell me that you want to cancel our deal?" she asked very, very slowly. The hanyou shrugged.

"Dunno, maybe around the next new moon when I planned to go to your village to..."

''Next new moon. Around three more weeks.' Three weeks of fear, uncertainty and plain frustration mixed with the annoyance she still feel from a minute ago and morphed into rage. So she had been living in constant worry, not sure what he waned from her, waiting to see him again, wanting to hear his voice, wanting... She had been trying to sense his presence every time while visiting the woods. She had even went to the damn forest at night to find him! She had been attacked by the boar because of him! And he was sitting here, pleased of himself, telling her they were even! And that he wasn't really in any hurry to tell her that! She'd have to wait two or three more weeks to hear that!

Kagome jumped to her feet, practically snarling. She reached for the first thing close to her and charged. The surprised forest spirit leaped back.

"Hey! You were supposed to be happy!" he barked at her, then his eyes widened as she followed him, moving pretty fast in a long robe. "Crazy wench, whaddya doin'. ya free!?"

Kagome growled at him and aimed the long, slim weapon in her hands for his dumb head. He dodged in the last second and fled on all fours, followed by an incarnation of fury in blue kimono, vowing to beat him senseless for his senselessness. 'He could tell me the next day! He could just come and tell me! I'd not have to worry! He could tell me earlier this night instead of going away for hours! I was so anxious and he just... Said he doesn't want anything! Stupid dog!'

She attacked him again and he growled at her, seemingly annoyed.

"Why did you not tell me earlier?! Was it so hard to come to me and tell me, almighty forest spirit?! Do you know how worried I was?! I never made you wait, I always came o you when I told you I'd come!"

She saw something in his face, a shadow passing through his wide eyes, as she cried at him, long sleeves of her robe swishing in the air between them.

"Oi, K-Kagome, put Tessaiga down..." he lifted his hands, walking backwards, his eyes never leaving her hands. Kagome didn't listen. "It was not like I wanted you to..."

"And to think I wanted to see you again!" this time she landed a hit on him - he didn't even try to dodge or block the blow, instead staring at her with his mouth slightly open, so the hit landed on his head. A grunt of pain escaped his throat and sobered her.

Kagome looked down. The youkai which had protected the villages in his forest for unnumbered years, the forest spirit she grew so used to talk to during this summer, the mysterious visitor from her dreams was sitting on the floor just before her feet, holding his head with both hands, glaring up at her from behind his unruly bangs

For the first time in her life Kagome saw not the forest spirit, but a confused, lonely boy. Myouga's words resonated in her mind. 'Master rarely leaves his territory. Outside of his forest he'd be just a half-breed, hated and feared by humans. Don't ask what youkai would do to him if they could. The hanyou have no friends and they usually are killed before reaching adulthood. The master was pretty lucky to live for so long.'' He had fearful respect of the villagers only because he was the only one who could protect them from youkai, for many he was just a beast from scary stories no one dared to tell. In his inhuman yellow eyes the young miko saw not only anger and pain, but also dejection and confusion mixed with sadness.

Kagome sank to her knees in front of him, dropping the sheathed sword on the floor.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you," she apologized softly. This was probably the first time she lost her temper in his presence. 'He was nice to me and gave me my freedom back and in return I hit him on the head with his own sword... Oh, he deserved scolding for keeping me in the dark for so long, but I shouldn't have hit him... He must think I hate him like others...' "I didn't want to hurt you, I just lost control of my anger... You know, I appreciate your choice, but you really should have told me before and I'd not have any reason to get angry and hit you..." she wanted to make him know that she didn't hate him.

"As if a weak human like you can hurt me," he growled back, rubbing his head with his hands. She could see that one of his ears started to swell. Kagome reached up without thinking and stroked the edge of the fuzzy triangle before it flickered away from her touch, Her eyes were drawn to his face once more to find a deep scowl grace his features.

"This weak human broke your seal, oh, almighty forest spirit," she reminded him with a frown. Why was he so dedicated to remind her she was weak and he was not? But pain and dejection disappeared from his gaze, replaced by other emotions, so she was glad.

"Yeah, and managed to get lost on a straight path," he retorted quickly and she sat back on her heels, favoring him with a scowl. Her expression seemingly amused him, because the forest spirit lowered his hands and smirked. "See? You humans are hopeless in the forest."

"If you're trying to discourage me and make me stop going in the woods you can drop it," she informed him. "I like it there," she added. The forest was her sanctuary, a place where she could be herself. It held many secrets and wonders, even if there were many dangers as well.

"Keh, do what you want. Just try to learn how to fight youkai first, because I'm not babysitting you," he replied gruffly, but the twinkle in his yellow eye and perked ears betrayed that he actually enjoyed their conversation or her last words were to his liking.

"I just hit the forest spirit, I think I can manage," she glared at him and looked up to the ear which was no longer swollen.

"Wh- I let you hit me!" he exclaimed and she chuckled at the tone of his voice.

"Sure, sure," she nodded, grinning. The boy huffed and Kagome realized that her anger disappeared somehow without her noticing.

It was some time later, when they were sitting by the fire in silence, when the forest spirit opened his mouth, his gaze fixed on the fire.

"As soon as you smell healthy I'm taking you home," Kagome lifted her heavy eyelids, she had almost fell asleep in the silence and warmth of the room. There was no longer fear in her - she knew now that the forest spirit wouldn't harm her. "I... I hoped we could... Continue."

"Huh?" Kagome blinked at him, but he didn't look up. "Continue what?" she asked after a long moment of silence. His ears lowered a fraction, but his expression didn't change.

"Our meetings under the Tree of Ages. I... I like to listen to your babbling. Sometimes, when I'm really bored and have nothin' else to do," he added and reached for the forgotten sword to pick it up and hang on the wall behind him. Kagome wasted a long moment to stare at the back of his head, surprised by this request. It wasn't growled, there was no hint of malice, no trace of anger. She opened her mouth to answer, to ask why he wanted that, but he was faster. "Besides... You can come here too, the runt can use some company and he likes you. I'd prefer you than some stranger I don't know spend time with the idiot."

.

Kagome woke up slowly. There was no one shaking her shoulder or telling her that there were a lot of things to do. No one was screaming and she felt safe and warm. It was so nice to just stay in bed, feel the softness of furs under her body...

Memories returned to her and she wasted a long while sorting them. 'I spoke with Inuyasha. I actually had a conversation with him and he was... Kinda sweet and annoying at the same time.' She had learned a lot about the forest spirit from Shippou and Myouga, but it was nothing compared to actually talking to the man. He could act like a jerk just to be considerate or sweet the next second... Just to tease her and annoy her the next one or get angry because of some innocent comment. Kagome had never meet anyone inspiring so rapid changes in her mood.

'He told me we're even, that he will not kill me or do any other nasty thing to me because of me being Kikyou's reincarnation,' she thought, pulling her blanket up to her chin, not wanting to get up or even open her eyes yet. 'I still feel like it was but a dream, that we didn't really exchange a word, not argued... To think I actually held his sword in my hands... And I survived the night, I will return to mother Kaede and we will meet again.'

At first she didn't dare to hope that he wanted to become her friend - or see her again in general, thinking that he hated her for Kikyou's betrayal. Now, resting in warm bed she entertained this thought - her visits in the woods and in his den, having fun with Shippou... Spending time with them, the only people aside of her mother who wanted to get to know her, Kagome, not make her Kikyou's successor, not seeing her as a cursed, weak copy. She had this feeling that the forest spirit was actually pretty pleased she wasn't like her.

As she was thinking she felt a source of warmth beside her shift. The realization that someone was in her bed, separated from her just by a thin blanket, made her eyes snap open. A realization came to her mind as her gaze fell on a sword hanging back on the wall. 'I had to fall asleep... And I'm laying in his bed...' Until now she had been sure she was in the room where Shippou had fallen asleep while waiting for Inuyasha's return. The source of warmth was definitely much bigger than the kitsune boy. Kagome turned her head to the side to see who was sleeping next to her. Dark blush covered her cheeks. 'Is he... Is he really...'

A triangle ear swiveled in her direction and Kagome gasped. A big akita, white like snow, was resting on the bed just beside her. The animal lifted its head and turned to look at her, golden eyes observing her for a long moment before the dog yawned, opening its jaws widely and exposing long, yellow fangs.

The young woman's eyes widened at this sight. She was laying motionless, staring at the dog in shock and confusion. The akita simply laid its head on its front paws, returning to sleep. As she took a deep, shaky breath the dog licked the exposed skin of her shoulder, its tail waving lazily in a show of friendliness.

"I-Inuyasha...?"

A/N 2:  
As it is this story's going to be quite long and its rating will go up quite soon, I think, partially because of Inu's language. BTW I'm really impressed English speakers can actually live with so little curses in their language.  
IDK if I told you before but on my personal tumblr blog (linked on my profile page) you can find posts where I talk about my progress and sometimes post some teasers for my stories. I also answer questions about stuff there and sometimes ask for betas for whole chapters so if you're (un)lucky you can get to read a chapter waaay before everyone else.


	7. The Spring, the Gift, the Tea

Summary; Kagome wakes up in the den (again) goes on a small adventure with Shippou to find the hot spring, gets the first gift from the forest spirit and decides to share the ancient knowledge with two youkai.

A/N: Hi, guys! I know it takes me ages to post new chapters - I'm sorry, but I'm unable to work on my stuff sometimes.  
Before you go to read this chapter I want to tell you that I really appreciate all your reviews - they're helping me in my battle against my anxiety and other stuff, so if you want to share your opinion on the story just go for it! I must confess I'm still amazed that so many of you read and like this story. Thank you so much!  
I really want to keep this fic being written from Kagome's point of view, but I'm not sure it will be always like this. Would you like to get some small parts of the story from pov's of other characters?

* * *

 **The Spring, the Gift, the Tea**

* * *

The young woman's eyes widened at this sight. She was laying motionless, staring at the dog in shock and confusion. The akita simply laid its head on its front paws, returning to sleep. As she took a deep, shaky breath the dog licked the exposed skin of her shoulder, its tail waving lazily in a show of friendliness.

"I-Inuyasha...?"

"Ah, lady Kagome," she spotted Myouga as he jumped on the dog's head. "Good day to you. Don't worry, he knows you're not a threat, you're coated in master Inuyasha's scent."

Kagome frowned upon this statement. Her gaze dropped to the forest spirit, now in the dog's shape. It was a beautiful animal - which wasn't surprising since the forest spirit was a handsome man.

"I am not afraid," she assured the flea. Kagome sat up and reached a hand to stroke the dog's back gently. A light dusting of pink covered her cheeks as she realized what she was doing. She was stroking the fur of the forest spirit and he seemed to not mind the touch.

An image of a half-smile and golden eyes full of sparks came to her mind and she quickly pulled her hand back. Myouga was observing her actions with a look of amusement on his face. She turned her attention to him, realizing that he was the only one who could answer her questions.

"Why is he a dog?" Kagome asked the old flea. Why was he like this? Was it because he was an inu youkai - well, a half inu youkai? Was he changing often? Her gaze dropped to the akita once more - the dog seemed to be pretty happy just laying at her side. The confused girl found herself wondering if he could control which shape he was in.

"I believe you think that this is master Inuyasha?" Myouga chuckled and this sound caused a frown to form on her face. "You're mistaken, lady Kagome. This' Yuki, one of the pack under master Inuyasha."

"Oh," Kagome felt her whole face grow red as she realized she mistook a regular dog to be a youkai. Somewhere deep in her mind she could hear the forest spirit chuckle and call her stupid. She was a miko and should sense youki of any youkai close by without even thinking about it. And Yuki definitely didn't have any youki. She was at the same time relieved and disappointed that it wasn't the forest spirit himself. Embarrassed she turned her gaze to Myouga, who was grinning at her, but quickly made his smile disappear when he saw her frown.

"The master ordered for you to stay warm and not leave the den," the flea's voice was still amused and somehow she knew that soon everyone around would know about her mistake. "The frost boar breathed at you and we were worried you could fall ill. Yet it seems that the bath in the hot spring and my potion kept your body heat from disappearing." 'What potion? I don't remember drinking any...' "Still, it is possible that the remaining of the boar's cold could affect your health, so if you feel cold or dizzy, tell us right away, lady Kagome."

"I see, I will tell you," Kagome murmured, glad that he changed the subject. 'It explains why I felt so cold before. I must make Myouga share the recipe for the potion, it can be useful.'

"I took my liberty to call Yuki to your side to keep you warm, I hope you don't mind, lady Kagome?" Kagome shook her head and rubbed Yuki's ears when the dog moved lazily upon hearing his own name.

"It's fine," she offered him a small smile. "Where is Inuyasha?" she asked after a moment. As she started to adjust her robe - she was fully dressed under her blanket - Yuki nudged her side with his nose, unhappy because she stopped petting his ears. The girl patted his back.

"You mean the real master?" Kagome fixed the amused flea with a deadly glare. "He's hunting. I'd suggest you to get some breakfast now, mistress. I believe Shippou would love to join you for a meal."

The thought about sharing her breakfast with the little fox made Kagome smile again, a wide, happy smile. The flea youkai jumped on her shoulder when she turned to the door, the dog lazily yawning, not bothering to follow the young woman.

.

Kagome was sweeping the floor. It was a calming activity - she couldn't just sit and do nothing. And the den, even if fairly clean, would look much better after some cleaning. Kagome wanted to repay the forest spirit for rescuing her from the frost boar and cleaning was definitely one of the things which always helped her think. Sitting for hours to meditate wasn't her thing.

She was working since the late breakfast with Shippou and Myouga. The fox was helping her a little, but the flea was gone. 'Probably he was afraid I'd ask him to help,' Kagome thought as she was slowly moving down the corridor leading to the entryway. Kagome was smiling, thinking about the reaction of the forest spirit upon finding his house clean. 'Probably will tell me I put everything in wrong places.' This thought made her half smile, her broom sweeping dust in direction of the bucket she was using. She'd like to wash the floors or use snow for her sweeping, but Myouga told her it wouldn't be wise to do that right now. She felt warmer than the previous day and her muscles weren't aching, there was no single moment of dizziness she had experienced a few times while exploring the den with Shippou the previous night

Shippou ran to her side, his fluffy tail waving behind him. The child was smiling widely, his eyes lively and happy.

"I put all the dishes in their respective places," he said, a hint of pride of himself in his voice.

"That's great," Kagome smiled at the kid. "I'm almost finished here, then we can go and see if there are any cookies in my bag... You know where my bag is, right?" she frowned, realizing that she still knew nothing about the fate of her belongings. Luckily, Shippou seemed to know, because he gave a nod, smiling happily and looking at the space between her broom and the doorway, probably thinking how much time was between him and the promised sweets.

"Yeah, we left your bag beside the hot spring," he said. "So we can go there and take your clothes too."

"Alright... Where's Myouga, by the way? I haven't seen him since the breakfast," Kagome brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"He comes and goes as he wants," Shippou shrugged. "You let him bite you, so I think he's hiding from Inuyasha. It can be a while before we see him again."

The young woman returned to her sweeping, Shippou patiently waiting for her to finish. As soon as she was done the kitsune jumped on her shoulder, his little hands holding onto the rich fabric of her kimono and they went down a corridor leading deep inside the mansion. Kagome had some troubles finding her way, but the kitsune knew the layout of his home well, so they soon went to a small room on the end of the passage. It looked just like a storage room, but the back wall was not made from wood but stone. According to Myouga's words that part of the den was touching the hillside. The miko went to door located on the stone wall and slid them open. Warm air hit her, coming from a narrow corridor carved in the stone. Kagome hesitated for a second before entering the dark space behind the door.

"Don't worry, Kagome," Shippou said from his spot on her shoulder. "The corridor is straight and the floor is flat."

"You can see here?" she asked, her hands brushing the walls of the corridor on both her sides. After sliding the door closed the pathway was pitch black.

"Yes," the kit said, smile easily heard in his voice. "Fox youkai have great night vision. I'll be your guide. There's only one turn in some distance from here, I'll tell you when."

"Okay," Kagome smiled at him, her steps steady as she was stepping into the darkness. The corridor was leading to a cave where the hot spring was hidden - in Kagome's opinion the idea of connecting the mansion and the spring was a wonderful show of wisdom. It was so luxurious to have your own hot spring to bather whenever you wanted. Definitely Inuyasha's father cared about his beloved's good mood. She knew if she had such a spring she'd spend every evening soaking and letting the hot water soothe her muscles sore after whole day of work. Even thinking about it made Kagome smile softly.

"The corridor will turn to your left in three steps and then the entrance to the cave will be in sight," Shippou said, bringing her from her daydreams about hot bath.

"Thanks," the young woman gave a nod and soon enough she felt the emptiness on her left, so she turned and found the wall again. To her surprise she saw a faint glow ahead of her, leading her to the cave, so she picked up the pace. It was like a small adventure - a hidden corridor leading to a treasure cave - for Kagome a hot spring was definitely a priceless treasure. She already hoped she could use it every time while visiting the den. And she hoped to visit it often. The mere thought of spending time with her three new friends was warming her heart. It was like the forest had even more secrets for her to discover, more mysteries to solve. And meditating about secrets in a hot spring would surely be fun.

Just before she entered it a loud splash could be hard and the girl frowned, turning to Shippou for explanation, but the fox's expression was as surprised as hers. She left the corridor behind and wasted a moment to look around.

The cave was wide, almost round, but it's ceiling wasn't higher than four meters, stone needles hanging here and there from it. A few boulders were adorning the otherwise flat floor which was stretching in a crescent moon shape from the entrance of the cave leading outside to the forest and to the place where she stood. A bag she knew well was sitting beside one of the boulders, her bow rested against it. An another bag, made probably of a deer skin, was discarded near the entrance of the cave, just beside a pile of red fabric which looked like it was covered in mud and some dark substance.

The other half of the cave was under water, steam filling the air. A few rocks were marring the surface of the spring. And a pair of golden eyes was glaring at her from above one of those stones. Clawed hands were gripping the boulder as if it could roll away any minute and leave the person behind it shield-less. Kagome blushed realizing that she and Shippou disturbed Inuyasha's bath. The look on his face and his ears were indicating he was both angry and embarrassed - the latter emotion was mutual. Kagome tried to look anywhere but at the white-haired man in the hot spring, hidden behind a huge rock.

"Hey, Inuyasha!" Shippou greeted him cheerfully and jumped off Kagome's shoulder.

"Get outta here!" demanded the forest spirit in a tone which caused Shippou to giggle. "Oi, runt, stop that!"

Kagome blushed harder when the hanyou made a motion as if he wanted to jump off the water and snatch the kit from where he was standing In an instant the miko turned on her heels and covered her eyes with both hands. The last thing she saw was a blush on his cheeks.

"I'm sorry!" she called. "We didn't know you're here! We just came for my stuff!"

"Then get it and take your asses away already," she got in reply. She dared to peek at him - he was still behind his rocky shield, but no longer letting only his eyes and ears to be seen. Now he was leaning against the stone, resting his elbows against the top of it. His hair was wet and not as pristine white as it should be, she could see dark brown water trickle down it and the tanned skin of his chest - she could see his whole torso right now. It took her a moment to realize she was staring at him while he was scowling at her. She squeezed her eyes shut and covered them with her hands again, feeling the hotness of her cheeks against her palms. 'Oh, goodness... He saw me stare at him! He'll think I'm some kind of a pervert!'

"Kagome promised me cookies for helping her clean," Shippou said casually and walked over to her bag to poke it. "Kagome? Can I have my cookies now? Before he gets out of the water and steals them from me?"

"Sh-Shippou," she took a deep breath, turned around again to walk in his direction and pick her bag. She made a mistake of moving her gaze from the kitsune and caught thee sight of the forest spirit again, he was still observing the intruders with a frown, waiting for them to leave. She quickly grabbed her bag, bow and fox friend in her arms and fled the cave. "We can eat cookies a little later," she said to the boy in her arms.

"Oh... Okay," the kid gave a nod and looked above her shoulder at the forest spirit who was muttering about nosy wenches. She didn't notice Shippou's grin when she left the cave in a rapid pace, but she heard the annoyed growl of the forest spirit behind her back.

Thirty minutes later Kagome found herself sitting in the kitchen, cutting some vegetables for the dinner. Maybe it wasn't the wisest idea to hold a knife - the only one knife she had found in the whole den - in her still shaking hands, but she had to focus on something else than the owner of the den in his bath. The smell of cooking food was filling the air, she was leaving her cutting to stir the soup in the pot every once in a while. Her mind wandered to the intense yellow eyes looking at her while she was gazing into the fire under the pot. 'It is so hot in the kitchen,' she thought while moving back to the table where she was working on a pile of carrots.

Shippou was sitting on the table where she was cutting the vegetables, happily munching on a slightly squeezed piece of cake they had found in the bag.

"There will be dinner soon, try to leave some space for it," she said to the kitsune.

"Better to eat it now, because when Inuyasha finds it he'll devour it," Shippou said between bites. "He eats almost all things you bring to the Tree of Ages if I don't hurry and snatch something for myself. He's so greedy," the boy shook his head and stuffed his mouth full of sweet cake. "And you cook so good!"

"Thank you!" Kagome blushed and smiled happily at this remark. She wasn't a really talented cook, but it seemed that the hanyou and his young ward both were fond of food they didn't have to cook. "I'll keep that in mind. Maybe I should make some food just for you next time," she offered. Shippou's eyes lit up.

"That sounds great!" he said happily. The young woman smiled at him and returned to cutting her carrot in even square pieces before throwing them to a bowl.

"Can you look for Myouga when you finish with your snack?" she asked. "I'm sure he'd like to join us for the dinner."

She was pretty sure any villager hearing her inviting a youkai for a dinner would be shocked, some would be probably repulsed. No sane person would do this, youkai were dangerous beings, much stronger and arousing fear in the humans. Kagome feared youkai as well, but only those who wanted to harm or kill others. Myouga and Shippou weren't like this. Inuyasha was more likely to harm someone, but Kagome trusted him - it was not only because of countless hours of talking to him or him being the guardian of the forest - it was also because he saved her. No one would save someone just to hurt them. She dared to hope that he liked her a bit.

It was odd how at ease she felt in this den of youkai. In a way she felt much more comfortable spending time with Shippou and Myouga than around the villagers. And her fascination with the forest spirit didn't fade after actually talking to him, if anything it grew stronger. 'Oops...' Kagome's thoughts strayed to the dangerous subject of the forest spirit and her memory quickly brought back the vision from the hot spring, causing her cheeks to turn a little pink. Luckily Shippou didn't notice.

"Myouga don't eat food," the boy said. "He just sucks blood from not expecting people. And he's probably still hiding - according to his words you're the first one he was ordered not to bite. "

"Ah. But I think he'd like to spend some time with us," she started to work on an another vegetable. "It'd be nice to sit together, all of us. And I am sure Inuyasha wouldn't be angry at him, it was just a little bite."

Shippou shook his head.

"I'll look for him for you, Kagome," he promised and she smiled warmly at him. "But I doubt I'll find him." The boy jumped off the table and quickly left the kitchen, his tail waving behind him as he wandered away, calling the flea's name. She was still smiling, his tail was adorable and so fluffy. It was hard not to stroke it sometimes - it was almost as tempting as rubbing Inuyasha's ears.

Speaking of the youkai - she heard quiet footsteps and saw the man stop in the doorway for a short second before stepping in. His hair was still damp, but his robe was dry and clean - an another mystery to solve. The hanyou was holding the bag she had spotted earlier beside his clothes in the cave. He walked over to the table and put on it while sniffing and looking around.

"Myouga's missing?" he asked, his gaze darting to the pot above the fire and lingering on it for a moment.

"Welcome home," she greeted him awkwardly, hoping he wasn't still annoyed because of her and Shippou's intrusion. "I'm sorry we interrupted you earlier," she apologized again, feeling her cheeks get a little hotter Yellow eyes looked at her in surprise which lasted just a second before changing in indifference. "And yes, he disappeared some time ago, but I'm sure Shippou can find him before dinner's ready."

"Keh," he shrugged and started to dig in his bag for something. "I have a gift for you."

"A gift?" she looked at him, surprised and feeling a small smile (along with a small blush) appear on her face. It was so nice to get a present! And from the forest spirit himself! She was curious what it could be and was observing him as he was looking for it in his bag. She even laid down her knife. 'It's so sweet of him to bring me a gift,' she thought. In one fluid motion the hanyou took his hand off the bag and put in her hands his gift. Kagome almost dropped it.

It was slick and still warm. Kagome's eyes widened as she looked at a heap of meat in her fingers and then lifted her quizzical gaze to the forest spirit who was observing her with a smirk.

"Ew..." 'How could I think a youkai would give me a normal thing?' she swallowed hard, her gaze dropping to the object she held. "Ew."

"Deer liver," he said, as if answering a question she hadn't voiced. "It's good for you, so eat."

Kagome stared at his face, hoping to find a sign that he was just teasing, that it was some kind of youkai joke or something. He wasn't. 'He wants me to eat it raw?!' Seeing her hesitation the forest spirit scowled.

"Go on, wench," he ordered, his voice losing the gentleness of his previous words. "It ain't gonna eat itself."

"But it's raw," she adjusted her grip on the organ before it slipped her grasp and fell between bowls with cut vegetables. She bit her bottom lip.

"Raw's the best," he replied, standing a little closer to her and towering above her, non-verbally telling her to obey his demand. "Eat it."

"I hate liver," she muttered, glaring at him and then at his generous gift. He was looking at her hands now, or rather on a spot on her right wrist where Myouga had bitten her - there was just a little darker pink mark now.

"I know. Consider it a punishment for spying on me," his ears lowered a little, his frown deepening as she moved her hands, hiding the mark and adjusting her grip on the present

"I said it was an accident!" she hated that her voice sounded like a whine. How cruel it was to punish someone by making them eat a raw liver? How could he call it a gift?

"Eat it or you're not seeing your mother before the full moon," he growled at her, his ears lowering even more, a sign of annoyance. She didn't pay attention to his body language as she realized that she had been missing for a long time. Was her mother already home, knowing she was gone? Or maybe the snowstorm which roared above the forest the previous night had kept her in the other village? Mechanically the young woman lifted her hand to her mouth, thinking how worried Kaede could be at this moment. 'How could I do this to her? How could I leave without a word? She'll be so angry at me for this! And she'd be right, I acted so recklessly! Maybe she's looking for me!' The thought that her mother could be out, looking for her, made Kagome's throat clench and her eyes widen.

"What's wrong?" the youkai gave her a worried look, moving a little closer to her when she dropped the liver between pieces of carrot on the table before her.

"How long I am here? Is my mother home, knowing I'm missing? I must go back," she said all of this on one breath and favored him with a pleading look. "Please, let me go home now. I must..."

"Not gonna happen," she tensed and scowled at his instant reply, but he didn't give her time to say anything. "I told her you're safe and under my protection. And told her not to tell others you're in my den. So stop worryin' and eat the liver already!"

'Wait, what? He told my mother... That means he saw her? He went to talk to her, to tell her I'm fine?' Gratitude flowed in her heart and she almost threw herself at him to give him a hug.

She was staring at him as he spun around, retrieved a piece of meat from his sack and started to slice it in stripes with his claws, his back turned at her. His ears were twitching rapidly. The young woman turned to face her gift meal and smiled at it faintly. It was so... Kind of him to do this, to inform her mother about her well being. She had to admit that she hadn't expected him to think about that. She felt like being in a dream - everything since her meeting with Shippou was so unusual, so unexpected it was sometimes hard to believe it was real. One furry ear swiveled in her direction.

"Oi! Stop staring and eat the damn liver already. It's getting cold," the gruff voice reminded her about the gift. Then she saw him stuff something in his mouth before placing the meat stripes in a small bowl and heading in direction of the doorway. "There's some meat you can use for the soup," he pointed his chin to the bag on the table. Kagome just nodded.

"Thank you," she said softly and this simple sentence made the forest spirit froze in the doorway and look above his shoulder at her, his yellow eyes full of confusion under frowning brows. "For telling my mother, not for the liver."

"Feh, she tried to purify my ass," he smirked. "But the old hag was too slow for me and missed enough times for me to explain to her I am not there to kill her and stuff."

Kagome gasped at this. 'How could mother attack him? He probably sneaked upon her and scared her, that is the only way she'd use her bow against him...' No villager would dare to attack the forest spirit - even after five decades of his absence - especially after witnessing his power during his battle against the youkai.

"She attacked the forest spirit? I am so sorry!" she bowed her head and heard him laugh. It was surprisingly nice sound, but it didn't last long.

"She had no chance to hurt me, wench," he said and put a piece of meat from his bowl in his mouth. "And, despite of the stupid stories you humans tell, I don't kill when I don't have to. Now stop staring at me and start on your liver. Or on the dinner. Call when you're done, I'll go find Myouga," she frowned in surprise because the last sentence was more growled than spoken. Before she could say anything the forest spirit went away, calling Myouga's name. The girl looked at the liver hatefully and picked up her knife to cut it to smaller pieces so she could swallow them with minimum chewing.

.

The meal wasn't a quiet affair. First she had to deal with Inuyasha stealing food from Shippou ("He has to learn how to protect his food, wench!"), then Yuki came to beg for scraps. The forest spirit gave him a quiet growl and the dog immediately changed his target, walking to her side and looking at her with big, pleading eyes.

"Don't feed the bastard," she heard Inuyasha before she could do anything. Shippou, who was sitting next to her, moved closer to her, eyeing the dog suspiciously. "He can hunt for himself."

Kagome looked at the dog, not giving the inu youkai any answer. One white ear drooped.

"Aww..." she released a sigh of awe and the dog licked his black nose, his puppy stare never leaving her face. She fished a piece of meat from her bowl and threw it for the dog - he caught it mid-air and it was gone faster than she could blink. A small whine escaped his throat as he lowered his head, his intense gaze fixed on her hand.

"Yeah, spoil the brat, wench," she turned to see Inuyasha's ears twitch in a motion she was associating with annoyance.

"Oh, come on, it was just a small piece," she offered him a smile.

"You can't let dogs do what they want," he replied firmly. "You can't let them steal food or beg for it when they have their own or can hunt it down themselves."

"Exactly, Inuyasha, exactly," Shippou nodded fiercely from his place, waving his chopsticks. "You know, you can sound pretty smart sometimes. For a dog, I mean."

"What did you...!"

Kagome sighed and found a piece of carrot in her bowl. 'Count your blessings, Kagome,' she thought while watching Shippou run around, chased by the guardian of the forest swearing he'll stuff his fuzzy tail down his throat. To her amazement somehow the kitsune was always a step ahead from the pursuing hanyou, who was growling and spatting swear words. Yuki fled the chamber with his tail between his legs just before Inuyasha caught his prey and gave him a hit on the head. Only then he returned to sit and continue his meal. Shippou, still rubbing his head, sat beside Kagome.

When she returned to the room after washing and putting away the dishes she found the kitsune occupied with his toys in a corner and the forest spirit lazing on a tatami mat near the fire pit. She hesitated for a moment and then went to kneel in her old place between them. She spotted a cup of freshly brewed tea beside the inu hanyou and a similar container standing close to the fire so the tea wouldn't get cold. 'Oh, no, Inuyasha's tea..." she thought as she reached for the drink. It was nice of him to make it for her, but she had this feeling... She took a sip. Yep, it was terrible.

"Say, Inuyasha?" she started, cradling the cup in her hands. One of his ears turned her way, but he didn't move his head resting on his hands while he was on his back. "Do you want me to show you how to make tea which tastes good?"

"If you don't like my tea don't drink it," came the gruff reply. 'How can one living in Inuyasha's Forest turn down a cup of tea brewed by the forest spirit himself?' she thought and smiled at this thought. It dawned on her he was trying to be nice to her, in his own way. It was possible she was the first guest he had in his life.

"But you made it for me. It'd be unkind of me to refuse such a gift."

"Keh, it wasn't a big deal," this time he opened one eye to look at her. Kagome gave him a bright smile and drank the whole cup of tea in one gulp. When she lowered her hands she saw his head turn her way, golden eyes focused on her face. She couldn't keep her expression neutral as she swallowed the last drops of the drink and she winced. Shippou who was observing her reaction as well, chuckled.

"It tastes like poison, huh?" he asked, pretty amused. Inuyasha growled at him.

"Yours doesn't taste much better," Kagome replied. "You both have a long way to go before you make a decent tea."

The forest spirit picked up his cup and took a sip. "It tastes fine. I don't understand what's the problem."

"Just let me make you some and you'll see the difference," Kagome stood up and ran off the room to bring supplies to make a real tea, not the... Liquid the youkai dared to call that name.

As she ran off the room she missed the expressions on faces of both her companions - Shippou's amused curiosity and Inuyasha's hopeful gaze.

A/N 2:  
See you all 9th Jun - the Full Moon will surely be bloody.


	8. (Bonus) Visits

Summary: A little boy brings flowers for his father.

A/N: You're in for a treat, my sweet, amazing readers and reviewers! Have a bonus little thing for the kid's day!  
Fun fact - the more you tell me what you think about the story the more I focus on it and the faster I post new chapters :D

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 **Visits (Bonus)**

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"Mommy? How far we must go?" A small boy was walking beside a tall woman. She was clad in a simple, yet beautiful robe of rich blue silk. The boy was wearing red, his white hair in contrast to her black locks. She smiled at him softly.

"Not far," she stated and looked ahead the narrow path between trees they were following. "Are you excited, little one?"

"I'm not little anymore!" he said, dog ears sitting on top of his head twitching as he straightened his back. His head was reaching her waist, where a sword was attached to her hip. For a third party it'd be pretty obvious she wasn't used to wear a sword at her hip, it was also not a decorative blade - it seemed the sword had seen better times. The woman chuckled.

"Yes, you are, my white puppy," she teased him and the boy favored her with a pout. It disappeared quickly when she reached a hand and stroked his hair. "So? Excited?"

"Uh-huh!" the boy smiled up at her, his eyes glowing in the shadow of his unruly bangs.

"Remember, you must stay close to me," she reminded him, knowing well that he could forget their talk before this trip. "And when we reach the place you can tell him everything you want to. I'm sure he will hear you."

The boy gave a nod and looked ahead of them. His little hands gripped tighter his gift - a bunch of wild flowers he had picked during their walk. He needed all his willpower to walk slowly beside his mother (not that her pace was slow, but he simply couldn't get there fast enough) and not run around. He took a deep breath, taking in the smells of the forest around them, tried to focus on various sounds ringing in his little doggy ears. He knew that he could memorize this path after walking it with his mother. The forest was full of life, green trees and bushes shielding the path from both sides, birds and wild animals making all sorts of noises and smells.

The woman walking beside him was stroking the hilt of her sword while thinking about their destination. Sadness was in her dark eyes when she was looking ahead - not only literally, but also figuratively. She knew where their path was taking them, the sadness awaiting there was something she learned to live with - it was her son's future she was worried about because she couldn't predict much in the future. What was going to happen to her innocent, sweet boy? Would he find joy in life? She stole a glance at him, his ears perked and swiveling like crazy each time he heard something interesting, his bare feet bouncing on the path, his little body deceivingly fragile. When she was looking at him Izayoi couldn't stop thinking he resembled the moon and blood and hoping this wouldn't define his future as one of loneliness, violence, coldness and death. She gripped the hilt of her sword.

'Protect him,' she prayed.

Soon they reached a small cliff, reaching only a few meters above their heads. It was like something cut a hill in half and removed one of the halves. Inuyasha sniffed, curiously observing his mother approach the vines covered rocky face of the cliff. She gestured for him to come closer and when he did he saw a small entrance of a cave. His mother took his hand and led him inside, stepping carefully on uneven floor of the narrow corridor. Inuyasha could see well in there, but for her it was too dark to walk with confidence. Yet it seemed she didn't need her sight, moving pretty fast for someone who couldn't see their way. His ears were moving constantly, excitement and impatience shining in his eyes. There was some anxiety too, but he did his best to hide it, he was a brave big boy now.

"Oh..." he peeked from behind his mother when she stopped suddenly. Joy faded from his expression - the corridor was a dead end. There was nothing - none - waiting on the end of it. He looked up to his mother, hoping to get an explanation. She gave his hand a little squeeze, not worried about his claws at all (only she didn't fear or be repulsed by his inhuman features), her gesture reassuring. Then she reached her other hand to brush it against something on the wall - he saw a small round object, black and glowing with an aura he could smell, but not name.

To his surprise the black orb's glow grew stronger and then it swirled. In a blink of an eye a portal opened before them, a vortex of cold and dark. Inuyasha's ears lowered and he moved closer to his mother, seeking her protective warmth.

"Don't be afraid, little pup," she said, teasing him to ease his fear. "This passage is safe for us. Now come."

Inuyasha wanted to tell her he wasn't afraid, but instead swallowed and followed her, not wanting to stay behind and let her wander in this strange portal alone. The cold wind enveloped them, darkness blinded them for a second. The next one they were standing in a place lacking smells and sounds Inuyasha knew. It was... Empty. He felt lost and only the firm grip of his mother's hand was keeping him from panicking. Luckily the blindness didn't last long, soon the darkness disappeared and the wind died down to a quiet whine between rocks and hills.

The little boy looked around, taking in the mist and rocks sticking above it here and there. But the empty, lifeless landscape was the subject of his focus for only a short moment, soon something else took all of his attention.

"I-it's huge!" he said, his eyes wide in amazement and shock. The woman beside him nodded, looking at the bones half hidden by the mist. She pulled the boy gently and led him to the giant skull of the fallen dog general, famous and fierce warrior, lord of youkai, her beloved one.

"Indeed, he was a great youkai," she led him between the boulders and mist, finding the safe way. Inuyasha was walking beside her in silence for a long while, looking at long fangs and heavy bones, wondering how would they look covered in fur white like clouds. The skeleton was really impressive (and a little scary, but Inuyasha refused to admit it, even to himself) even when big parts of it were blanketed by the mist and half of its tail disappeared under a pile of rocks. Izayoi stopped before the grave of her husband and bowed in respect. Inuyasha did the same, feeling anxiety rise within him.

"Hello, Touga. I brought Inuyasha today," she greeted, her gaze fixed on the remaining of the youkai who had sacrificed his life to protect his family. Inuyasha swallowed and managed a shy smile. He lifted the half-withered bunch of flowers. His mother gave a smile, nodding for him to speak, so he collected his courage.

"...H-hi, dad... I picked those for you..."

Inuyasha landed on the cold ground almost soundlessly. He was moving with grace of a predator, slicing through the empty space lacking smells and sounds of living world in a steady pace. He was no longer the same boy who had visited his dad on his birthday some years ago - he didn't care to count how many exactly. The boy was gone now and the hanyou making his way down the narrow path between rocks and pools of mist resembled him only partially. There was no innocent anxiety of a shy child in his expression, no excitement. Yet there was still longing and curiosity in his eyes . His movements were efficient and seemed effortless when he was jumping from a rock to a rock to make his way shorter, impatient and wishing to find his own way to reach his destination. It wasn't the first time he was visiting this place since the first visit, but it was long since the previous one. The place seemed to look the same, but there were some changes in the landscape.

Finally he reached his destination. His ears drooped when he saw the marking stone resting between the paws of his father - it seemed to be so tiny, more like a pebble than a boulder. He hesitated for a moment and knelt to place a small bunch of flowers before it. There were remaining of other similar gifts - he had never moved them away. There was no point, they would change in dust and be blown away by the cold wind sooner or later. His clawed hand touched the stone in a display of gentle tenderness before it was pulled away.

Yellow, inhuman eyes lifted to look at the razor sharp teeth of the fallen dog general and the hanyou reached to his obi to pull a sword from its sheath. The dull, rusty blade didn't shine in the gray light of this grim place when the young man, a teenager actually, lifted it above his head in a greeting, a salutation to the once powerful youkai.

"Hello father, hello mother," he said, his words sounding more like barked than spoken. It wasn't surprising since he wasn't often talking to other beings aside of his dogs. "I brought Tessaiga. I'm sorry it was so long," his gaze dropped to the stone marking his mother's resting place and softened for a moment. "I wanted to come back when I could show you that I can make it transform for me, but I guess I'm still too weak. I'm sorry," he repeated. He wanted to believe his parents could hear his apology and would accept him as he was, not look down at him. Once he had hoped that his father would talk to him one day, then hoped his mother's voice could reach him here, but there were no other voices in this place, only his own. Tessaiga sang a sad song when it was pushed back into its sheath. Yellow eyes darted up to look at his father's bones again, spotting the missing fang immediately. Tessaiga held just a fraction of his father's power and he felt worthless for not being able to control even it. Would the inu youkai be disappointed with his son if he knew how weak he was?

"I'll get stronger," he promised both his parents and turned around to leave. "I'll do my best so you can be proud of me."

.

The forest spirit was moving through the dead landscape swiftly, but any observer could see some stiffness in his movements. One of his ears was still healing, not moving in sync with the other and he was avoiding putting his weight on his right leg, his left hand hanging uselessly on his side. His yellow eyes were focused on one point and he was making his way to it with haste and in complete silence. He was moving like a wounded, but still dangerous predator, unwilling to show just how much pain he was in and how tired his body felt. It'd be a sign of weakness and there was no way the forest spirit would let anyone see him limp around and lick his wounds, whining like a beaten puppy. Rest had to wait.

He stopped before the stone bearing names of his parents and looked at it with sadness and longing before lifting his head to favor the massive skull with a firmer gaze, not free of a speck of guilt. Unwanted memories tried to flood his mind, but he pushed them away.

"Here," he barked gruffly. "Pay your respects so we can go home. The Asshole's probably still sniffing around my den and I want to chase him off my forest," he looked at something on his right shoulder.

"Of course, Master Inuyasha," an old flea youkai gave an eager nod. "I am thankful you let me visit your parents. But I'd advise against seeking lord Sesshomaru and engaging in an another battle with him, your wounds are still..."

"Shut up and do your thing, flea," the forest spirit growled in annoyance, not glad to be reminded about the beating he had received from his older brother not too long ago. At least the Asshole still didn't have what he craved. Myouga wasted no time and he turned to bow to his former master in respect. When he finished his prayers he turned his curious gaze to his young master's face. "Do you want to say something?"

"Keh, not really." Inuyasha shrugged and turned around to leave. 'They already know what I'd say anyway.'

.

A/N 2: Ok, I didn't expect this bonus thing to grow part 2 and 3, but I couldn't stop writing. If I ruined your day, don't worry, there's two of us.


	9. Under the Full Moon

Summary: The silver light of the full moon shines down at the Forest of Inuyasha, basking it in serene light. Dark shadows sneak into a small village hidden in the woods.  
A name is called...

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 **Under the Full Moon**

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Golden eyes were looking straight at her, intense and full of emotions, unguarded for once. Kagome felt light as if she didn't weight more than a feather. Strong arms were holding her body against the lean form of the man embracing her. It was fortunate he was holding her so tightly, because her legs felt weak, unable to support her. She felt so safe, so warm, so happy... So wanted. The man's lips parted and a tip of his tongue darted out of his mouth to lick his lips in anticipation. Kagome blushed at this sight and it made a small, cocky smirk appear on his face, a tip of a fang visible for a moment as he whispered her name, his gaze lingering for a moment on her own lips before returning to her eyes. His husky voice was so full of love, desire, promise... She felt her insides melt under the heated gaze of his beautiful eyes when he leaned in to - at last! - press a passionate kiss to her mouth, his arms wrapped tighter around her shoulders. His warm breath fanned her face and something sharp and thin like whiskers stroked her cheek. Kagome frowned and...

...And opened her eyes to see Buyo, her cat, mere centimeters from her face. The feline meowed quietly as it saw the girl was awake. It nuzzled her cheek again, purring and scratching her skin with his whiskers.

"B-Buyo!" she breathed out. 'Oh, why did you wake me up...?' The young woman sat up, pulling the blanket wrapped around her down to her waist. The cat, proud of accomplishing his mission, went somewhere in the shadowy darkness of the room. Kagome sighed and looked to the source of light - a few embers in the fire pit. It was probably near the dawn and she was sure she couldn't go to sleep now, so she could just start working on breakfast and make tea for herself and Kaede. And try not to think about her dream. It wasn't the first time, but since her return from the den she had much more material to fuel her imagination.

She put on a warm robe and tied it while walking to an empty water bucket before she went outside the hut to gather snow to melt it - it was a lazy way to get water, but the snow was clean and walking to a well so early seemed to be just a waste of time. Kagome stood beside the hut for a long moment after filling her container with pure snow, simply admiring the view of the village basked in silver, otherworldly light of the moon hanging low above the dark line of the forest she loved so dearly. Her house was on the top of a small hill, just beside the shrine, she could see the whole village spread before her, dark huts and white fields of snow in free spaces between them. She spent almost her whole life here, even if mostly doing things around her house or the shrine. She liked this place, it was peaceful and small, not overly wealthy, but everyone had food and shelter through the winter. Even while feeling she wasn't really a part of this community she liked to daydream one day she would. And this hope didn't seem so fragile as it had been months ago, before her spiritual powers - small as they were - became apparent.

The shift in the villagers' approach towards her which had occurred during the past month did nothing to change her feelings towards this place. It did annoy her that people were now respectful towards her, many were suddenly much kinder to her and some even tried to befriend her. She was now a real miko in their eyes, not a plain healer bearing a curse or being unlucky. Kagome bit her bottom lip and remembered her mother's words. They were simple people and had goodness in their hearts. She should be patient with them and not keep her distance now, when they were willing to accept her - she should try to show them that her value was not only in her spiritual powers. She should work as hard as she could to be as good a person as she could and hope that now people could see past the cloud of rumors, fears and hopes. Kagome hoped that they would realize soon she was not just a copy of the former priestess, that there was more to her than being able to purify youkai. She hoped to find friends who would not mind the low level of her powers, not listen to rumors, not push her away because of some rumors - friends just like the forest spirit, Shippou and Myouga.

The previous full moon she had brought the forest spirit and made him save the village, she had righted what had been done by Kikyou - some of the villagers were simply happy that she brought back the supernatural protector of the forest and the village - for them she had returned the world to balance. It was a balance where an unpredictable youkai was dwelling in a forest encircling their houses, but they didn't mind his presence as long as he was killing or chasing away other youkai. They could now pray for safe journey through the woods or good hunt and leave offerings for the spirit of the forest. Kagome was curious if Inuyasha could hear their prayers and collect the offerings. He technically wasn't a divine being so he shouldn't be able to hear prayers, right? A small smile appeared on her lips. 'But I am sure he's taking the offerings, especially if they're sweet buns.' Her gaze traveled over the village to the dark line of the forest and the moon hovering above it.

'I guess I could do a small experiment and leave sweet buns in the forest to see if he'd come to take them. What for should I pray?' A vision from her dream, an image of yellow eyes gazing down at her, strong arms encircling her protectively, lips hovering mere inches from hers passed her mind and caused her cheeks to flush darkly and she almost dropped the bucket on her feet when she covered one of her cheeks with a hand while grasping the container with the other. She shook her head. 'Focus on making tea and breakfast. You have chores to do and you promised yourself not to go to the forest for a long while. I really scared mother and she's still angry at me for running off to find the den.' The memory of the talk she had had with her mother upon returning home came to her mind.

Her mother was usually letting her choose her path, giving advice and encouraging her. She had been worried for her adoptive daughter since her encounter with the forest spirit during her way back home. 'Still, all she did was to ask me to give more thought to my plans before acting on my emotions - a miko should act wisely and always think about the outcome of her deeds. Especially when they were connected to youkai.' Kagome sighed heavily - her mother was right and her patient lecture, the look of disappointment on her face were far worse than yells or punishments. Kagome promised herself to behave and be more judicious. Kagome already felt guilty for keeping some of the things in her life from her mother - Kaede didn't know the exact location of the den, nor what Kagome thoughts about the forest spirit (aside of the fact she deemed him a rough, but kind-hearted person with ill-temper and foul language) and some other things. Luckily she could tell her mother about Shippou and Myouga without fearing that she could say too much.

While talking about Inuyasha Kaede had never used the term 'hanyou', so Kagome wasn't sure if she knew about his mixed blood - she herself had learned about it just a few days ago and she was pretty sure the rest of the village didn't know about it. Hanyous were very rare and some of the humans deemed them just beings of scary stories - for some reason Kagome haven't ever heard a tale without a blood thirsty, crazy half-breed children or teenagers killing humans until being slain by a brave warrior or a priest. Hanyous were to be feared - in the stories they were worse than youkai, because they were abominations born from an union not blessed by the heavens. Kagome bit her bottom lip again in anger - she had spent some time with Inuyasha and for her he wasn't an abomination. There were moments he could startle her or annoy her, but one glance in his intense yellow eyes was enough to calm her down. Well, usually; sometimes they had to argue for some time over various things and during those quarrels looking in his eyes didn't help her reach her inner peace. For her his mixed blood was not important and she hoped he knew that. He was an outcast, not accepted by both youkai and humans, living beside the society and Kagome felt she could relate. From a mysterious and a little scary guardian of the woods he morphed before her eyes to be someone else, a lonely person deserving to have friends because it wasn't his fault he was born hanyou. Just like it wasn't her fault she was the reincarnation of a glorified miko. 'Outside his forest he's a hated half youkai, inside it he's the feared forest spirit,' Kagome thought. 'And no one sees who he is past those labels.'

Kaede was one of the villagers who respected the forest spirit and were aware that the youkai dwelling in the forest was a neutral being, capable of both good and ill deeds. The old miko hoped that he wouldn't turn 'rabid' again, just as he had done fifty years ago. She had told Kagome that before the fateful day of his attack he wasn't one to kill people for fun or to satisfy his blood lust like some of his kin. Still, he was short-tempered and wild and. One couldn't predict his actions. And Kagome believe her - Kaede was one of the few people who actually had any interactions with him before him being sealed. 'Mother wants to make sure he's the same forest spirit he had been before,' Kagome thought, chewing on her bottom lip and looking to the starry sky. 'Maybe if she could prove he's not a bad youkai to the villagers he'd feel better about visiting me here? He'd see that people trust Kaede's judgment and his good will. If I could make him come sometimes to the village and make people see him more like a living being than a spirit from legends or dangerous youkai he'd not be so lonely... And he could bring Myouga and Shippou too. Together with Inuyasha we could show the villagers we're not what they thought we are. Now they can see his real self, not rely on half-forgotten stories and memories.'

Kagome's mind turned to the subject of the tales. Now, when the forest spirit was awake again the village folk was more willing to talk about him, tell stories which were kept in the darkness of minds of the older villagers for decades. Kagome thought that it was mostly because the first thing he had done after awakening was saving them from a youkai raid and there were not too many people who had witnessed his wrath and destruction in the village half of a century ago. It was like now while talking about him people didn't fear to disturb his sleep and make him angry. Still no one dared to speak his name too loud. She felt the cold wind on her face and smiled. 'I'm going to freeze here, thinking about stuff. Very wise, miko...' The wind and the weight of the bucket brought her back to reality and she shifted her grip on it. 'It's all the dog's fault, I can't stop thinking about him.'

She was about to turn around and enter the hut when she saw some motion between two huts on one end of the village, near the mill. Someone was... Sneaking behind them? The young miko frowned, wondering who was be up so early - it was still dark and judging by the position of the moon it was around two hours till the dawn. Maybe it was a boy returning home after visiting a girl? Or maybe someone was ill? Maybe the wife of the miller went into labor? But if it was one of the two latter options why was this person not running straight for the stone steps of the shrine to fetch her mother or her? It was odd, but she decided to wake up Kaede just in case their aid was needed. There were still villagers unwilling to interact with her, afraid that she was still carrying the curse which had kept her spiritual powers under a seal - those wouldn't want her help and would ask for the old miko's attention and care. As much as Kagome hated that she knew that she could patiently wait for them to see that there was no curse - there was no point of bearing ill thoughts against their stupidity or stubbornness.

Just as she reached the doorway a clear sound cut through the chilly air - it was the sound of the alarm bell ringing. The bell was located on a tower built on top of an another hill, closer to the river and the headman's house. The sound froze Kagome's blood instantly more efficiently than the wind. It ringing now, in the suddenly sharp and merciless white light of the moon, caused Kagome's hands to shake, she dropped her bucket and jumped forward to the doors on weak legs.

The inside of the hut was dark, Kagome almost tripped over her mother, who was hurriedly dressing herself and reaching for her bow and arrows. Kaede's face was pale, her one eye lacking the drowsiness of freshly awakened person. Kagome never understood how she could go from deeply asleep to fully awake in a matter of seconds. It had to be due to years of training.

"Kagome!" Kaede sighed in relief, the sound almost drowning in the sharp sound of the bell, loud even inside the wooden walls of their home. "Here you are!"

"I was collecting snow," Kagome explained shortly as she ran for her own bow and arrows, trying to regain calmness. The bell was urging them to move, to take action, to run to the village and help their kinsmen fend off whatever was attacking their home. There was no way it was something as mundane as a child being born or a boy sneaking back home. The bell was a sign of danger and since Kagome couldn't sense any youkai close by it had to be of human or natural origin.

"I saw someone sneaking between the houses and then the bell..." Kagome breathed out and quickly followed her mother. She wasn't as good an archer as Kaede was, but right now that wasn't important. There were no warriors in the village, just a few hunters, anyone who could fight even a little had to do their best to protect the small community. Kaede was moving surprisingly fast for a woman her age, probably due to rush of adrenaline and worry similar to the feelings flowing through her daughter who was hot on her heels when she was descending from the hill. Kagome's thoughts were spinning in her head.

Aside of youkai there was an another danger. One almost as deadly as the supernatural beings devouring humans - bandits who would come in the darkness of the night to kill, steal and rape. When the two mikos were running to the village to join other people leaving houses the sound of the bell suddenly stopped - the watchful citizen who had warned the village was dead or fighting the attackers. Kagome readied her bow and bit her bottom lip as she took a place behind a small shed, prepared to let her arrow fly any second. Her heart skipped a beat when a bunch of men on horses approached the village from behind the hill, it seemed that those who had been sneaking around before were just scouts. The villagers, mostly not fully dressed and wielding farming tools, looked at them with fear and determination, their women and children crying and trying to aid their males. The bandits let loose a loud, fierce cry, rising their spears and swords, moonlight shining on their blades. Kagome swallowed hard and gripped her bow tighter. 'Heavens, help us win this fight... And may everyone be safe...'

.

Everyone were gathered on the square before the shrine steps, encircled by house of the wealthiest villagers. Kagome was gripping Sakura's shoulders - both for comfort and warmth. Her bow was on a small pile of weapons in one corner of the square, far beyond her reach. Sakura was crying in fear as many others were, shivering and gripping Kagome's shoulder painfully tightly. Kagome was butting her bottom lip and trying to force herself to focus and find a way to do something, trying to overcome her own fear and the feeling of being defeated and hopeless stuck in her throat. She didn't want to give up, she didn't want to lose hope, there had to be a way to save the village - accepting, admitting that there was no way from it now would mean accepting death or worse fate - slavery and rape. A month ago it was easier: she had only to sneak to the forest she knew and loved since forever, find the sleeping guardian of the woods, wake him up and make him help her kinsmen. Now... Now she was trapped between other females, her hands empty, the safety of Inuyasha's Forest unreachable, the said hanyou far, far away. 'So... Is this how it ends? It can't be... I... I want to see Inuyasha again...' She looked around, there had to be something she could do instead of clinging to Sakura. Sadly she was trained as a healer and a miko, both her knowledge and skills were useless against those bandits.

The battle had been short and brutal, in the middle of the chaos of sounds and movement the villagers and bandits had fought and a few of the latter group had fell killed by the arrows of the former group. Yet there had been far too many of them, they had been far too organized and quickly had gained control over the crowd of farmers and their families, taking care of the archers and taking over the village. Bodies of the fallen ones were still laying where they had fell, forgotten.

The village men were tied and laying on the ground in another corner of the square, many were injured and some were probably dying right now, bleeding out on the cold snow. The bandits guarding the women didn't let any of them help their husbands, fathers and sons. They'd probably tie them too, but for the lack of ropes they had settled to herd the captives and watch them. Kagome bit her lip harder, drawing blood. In the sharp light of the moon, now not pure silver but rusty red as it was closer and closer to the horizon, she could see the bodies of the tied farmers laying on top of each other, carelessly discarded by the bandits.

A shed had been set on fire sometime during the fight. The flames were an additional source of light, but also provided warmth. The men were closer to it than the rest of the village folk, but the fire was starting to die down as time was passing. Kagome wasn't sure the villagers would see the sunrise.

There were at least twenty of the attackers, but only five were on the square right now, standing around the frightened women and children as they were squeezed between the wall of a huge shed, a fence and a hut. The rest was roaming the village, bringing the valuable things and, rarely, people who had hid themselves somewhere in the village. Kagome was pretty sure they intended to burn the village to the ground or at least leave it empty - the chief of the band, currently sitting on his big white steed in the center of the square and supervising the growth of a pile of valuables before him, had announced that he had plans to take some of the villagers to sell them as slaves. The young miko wasn't sure what would happen to those not chosen to become slaves. 'Will they... Will they slay the rest of us? Or leave us to freeze and starve? They're even gathering our animals to take them away!' Fear and despair rose in her throat, making it hard to swallow her saliva mixed with blood from her lip or even breathe. Quick death would be a fate much better than slavery or rape and then slow agony in the ruins of the village. Her body trembled and she pulled Sakura closer to herself, not finding right words to soothe the girl. Sakura was one of the prettiest girls in the village, it was highly possible she'd be one of the future slaves. Frustration gripped Kagome's heart tightly as she realized there was no chance of escaping or fighting - the men were unable to fight, the women had nothing to fight with, many were holding their children and trying to calm down their cries. Only two women seemed to be more concerned about their children or future and were trying to help others - Kaede and Ayuko, the headman's wife. Their attempts seemed to be in vain.

Two men entered the square carrying a big chest. They were grinning as they approached their chief. Kagome was pretty sure he was sitting on his horse to be recognized as a chief, for her all the men looked the same - clad in ragged clothes and not matching pieces of armor, wielding various weapons. The men opened the chest when they put it before their companion.

"See, chief! We found some nice stuff!" one said and motioned with his head to the container. The man on the white horse leaned to his side to look inside the chest and grinned.

"And here I was thinking this village can't offer more than some slaves and cows," he flashed a grin in direction of the headman. The leader of the village was tied to a fence, his right leg and hand broken as a punishment for killing one of the bandits. Along with him were three more people, including the miller's sister, who had committed the same deed. All four of them were trying to hide how much in pain they were. Kagome wanted nothing more to let them free and tend to their injuries. The headman lifted his hateful gaze to look at the man and spat in his direction, causing a burst of laughter from all the bandits witnessing this gesture of disgust.

"You two can get his daughters for this," the leader of the band said. His comrades turned their happy faces in direction of the crowded women and children who grew much quieter in terror.

"But, chief, we don't know which wenches are his," said one, grinning as if he already knew the answer to this complain.

"Then take which ones you want to. You brought gold and silver," the man shrugged, obviously not caring who'd get raped first. The rest of the bandits present grumbled that they had no chance to bring gold because they had to 'watch over the goods' and that it was their right to pick their 'toys' first. Sakura looked up at Kagome, her beautiful blue eyes wide with fear. Kagome was sure the girl could see her expression mirrored in her face.

"Oh, Kagome..." she breathed, her voice rough from crying. Kagome felt her whole body tense as the crowd around her grew tighter, the helpless villagers trying to get closer to each other, as if they hoped they could hide, escape the dreadful reality of their situation. The frustration, fear and despair were swirling in her mind, her body tensed and getting numb as she prayed to the gods to make it all be just a nightmare, a horrible dream. She felt as if some force was pushing on her from all directions, so hopeless, so utterly weak and unable to defend herself or her kin. She wanted to be free, to go to the forest, to make this whole horrible night be undone. She tried to breathe calmly, but couldn't help her rapid breathing as she noticed the two men walking around the crowd like wolves around a herd of sheep, trying to pick the best ones and commenting on features of some of the women. Kagome felt like a wild animal trapped and knowing it'd not see the next sunrise. The bandits were exchanging opinions with their less lucky companions standing aside - for now - and prolonging the process of picking their victims. A thought passed her mind. 'How could people think that youkai are far worse than humans? We are no different than them, able to do as horrible things as the supernatural beings.'

She could hear Kaede speaking something loudly, the bandits laughing and the men insulting the bandits in anger, knowing they could just watch. The scent of blood, smoke and other odors mixed in her nostrils, Kagome was almost sure she could smell fear and despair of the women and men she knew her whole life. She choked on her breath when a shrill cry of utter terror reached her ears - it seemed the first victim was dragged from the crowd. Kagome felt a tug on her sleeve - she didn't know if it was one of the females around her or a bandit coming to pull her from the temporal safety of the crowd. She let go of Sakura's shoulders and took a sharp breath, much deeper this time. The thoughts in her mind were a tornado of fears, memories, wishes, cold, desperation, helpless anger and other emotions she couldn't sort. Her eyes found the moon touching the black line of her beloved forest. She reached for it with her hands, with her heart. The forest meant safety, it was always a place of harmony, peace and silence. It was a place she longed to be in again. It contained a person she wanted to see again. A person who had come to her aid once, even if was scary and intimidating, a person she felt safe with. And as she thought about this person she felt the air leave her lungs in a cry full of the emotions she had within herself.

She called the name of that person.

"Inuyasha!"

A/N 2: Did Inu hear our miko? Will he come? What's going to happen if not? What if yes? What the dawn will bring to our favorite miko and her village?


	10. Before the Daybreak

Summary: ...And a howl is the only reply.

A/N: You don't even know how fun it was to write this chapter. I was waiting for it for like a month.  
Ah, I almost forgot. TW: guts :3

* * *

 **Before the Daybreak**

* * *

Myouga was holding onto a silver strand of hair for his dear life and having a deja vu experience. The mane of his master was flowing behind him when he was running. The world around the flea was spinning and waving as the hanyou was making his way between snow-covered meadows and dark trees.

"My lord! Please, reconsider!" he yelled as loud as he could, hoping his voice would reach ears of his master. The only answer he got was a livid snarl. Myouga wasn't sure if he was imagining things or not, but he heard 'blood' between the sounds his master was creating deep in his throat while almost flying through the forest. Myouga looked back where he could barely see four dogs following them, white shadows obscured by tree limbs, more similar to ghosts or inugami than living beings.

"Master, we are not sure you can stop yourself once you spill blood!" the flea pleaded as the hanyou jumped across a meadow. "Tessaiga's still..."

"Inuyasha!" the flea paled as he heard a faint sound of a voice he knew to be the voice of a young, kind-hearted miko. The girl her master seemed to be drawn to, the girl who wasn't repulsed by his mixed blood. Speaking of blood - hers was delicious. And now the echo of her cry was ringing in the cold air before the sunrise. Inuyasha was bound to hear it, much better than his old servant actually. He stopped for a moment and lifted his face to the full moon just above the horizon.

Then he howled.

The sound lacked Inu no Taisho's power, but it still made shivers run down Myouga's short spine. It was a simple message "I am here," It was both a promise and a threat to all who didn't run away fast enough - a promise of death and a threat of long agony. Myouga's hold on his hair loosened as the sound echoed between the trees. He didn't do anything to resume his grip and fell from Inuyasha's shoulder when the inu hanyou took off again, a blur of red and silver. He didn't move when a minute later four akita dogs passed under his branch, panting and growling, following both the scent and the youki of their master. Myouga wasn't stupid - he reached his age because he was following a few simple rules.

The first one was: never step between an inu youkai and the things they want to reduce to bloody bits.

.

"Inuyasha!" she cried, her hand reaching to the dark line of the forest, almost black in the dim light of the impending day.

Kagome realized what she had done. She felt many eyes turn to look at her. Now she caught attention of not only her fellow villagers, but also the bandits. Her outstretched hand fell limply to her side as she looked around, her breath caught in her throat as feat gripped it tightly. Kaede grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind herself when one of the men walked to stand before them, grinning.

How could she be so stupid and think that it could help them, that her cry could reach his little white ears wherever he was and make the situation she was in any better? A part of her was amazed by the strength of her voice, she had never cried so loud. Kagome flinched, hearing a distant howl of a canine somewhere in the forest, from the opposite direction the den was. The sound was too faint too focus on him for any amount of time, besides Kagome had a more important things to worry about.

The man reached his hand - Kagome wasn't sure if he was reaching for her or Sakura, the other girl had her mouth covered with her fragile fingers, staring ahead in panic and trying to back away, between other women. Kaede's grip on Kagome's wrist grew tighter as the both miko took a step back.

Kagome tried to swallow the lump in her throat. 'Oh, gods, make it stop... Make it all end...' If she had anything she could use to fight, a knife or even a long needle to put in one of those cold, evil eyes... But she had nothing, even her nails were short and useless, nothing like Inuyasha's deadly claws... 'Oh, Inuyasha...'

"I like when wenches are loud," the bandit said and in a fast motion gripped Kagome's shoulder. The young healer hissed in pain and tried to free herself, to no avail, his grip was iron strong.

"Don't you dare touch a miko!" Kaede grabbed his hand. "The gods will punish..."

"Shut up!" Kagome was yanked down when the man hit her mother, who tried to free her from his grip while tugging her closer to herself. The next second the man pulled her by her shoulder and she stumbled forward into the open space. Kagome tried to fight, but she was flung over his shoulder before she could catch her balance or lay any good hit. She heard Kaede let out a strange cry and at the same time when a rough hand gripped her butt to keep her in place when the man was turning around she felt it.

A pulse of youki swirling with blood lust, anger and... Fear? It was approaching so fast!

'And youkai too? The village's double cursed!' Kagome hit the man's back and kicked the air in vain, desperately trying to free herself. Some youkai was approaching the village, its youki feral and utterly frightening. Had it smelled blood and fear of the villagers? Could the fate of the villagers be not to die by hands of the bandits? Would the youkai devour the vile men too? There was a slim chance the bandits wanted to leave at least some of the village folk here alive, but there was not a chance a youkai would let any of them live. Kagome tried again, not willing to die as a hopeless victim. She heard her mother's cry of fear, followed quickly by voices of other villagers, men and women alike.

To her surprise the man's grip loosened suddenly - he didn't make more than three or four steps. The young miko cried out as she fell to the ground, her cry quickly followed by a string of curses of the man who had held her, his voice full of pain and anger. Kagome turned her head to see why he had let her go so suddenly and what caused his shouts. Time slowed to a crawl and it was just like the world went silent for her.

First she saw a severed arm laying on the ground and across her legs, blood darkening the snow, fingers twitching. Then her gaze lifted up, following up a path of red drops falling on the ground before two bare feet. It led her to a clear cut, which was once the shoulder of the bandit. Now she could see bloody flesh and a slick surface of a bone in the gap in his clothing. The man was hanging in the air, held by his throat by a tall man dressed in blood red kimono. The bandit was gripping his wrist and trying to free himself just like she had tried just a moment ago, but it was in vain. The man holding him was smiling at his attempts. The bandit was trying to catch his breath or scream, but the grip on his throat didn't let him take in much air.

"...Divine punishment..." the voice was rough and sharp. It sounded like the man was tasting the words. "I like it."

One clawed hand (Kagome could remember the gentle grip of this hand on her own wrist when he had led her back home from his den, showing her the path) reached up and in a fast motion buried itself in the man's stomach, drawing a loud cry of pain and terror from him. She realized that the red clad man had to loosen his grip on him to allow him to draw breath and cry - a smirk graced his lips as he listened to the sounds of pain for a second before resuming his strong hold on the man's throat and silencing him. The bandit's legs kicked violently, then hung limply, just above a dark spot of dirty snow. The injured man was whimpering now.

Kagome was unable to move, staring with wide eyes at the forest spirit as he opened the stomach of the human and let his guts hang out. The young miko could see the organs of the bandit pulse and steam in the cold air. An awful smell mixed with the scent of blood filled the air and hot liquids started to drip on her when the man was whining and trashing around, trying to run away from the pain. The hanyou tilted his head to the side and let the guts of his victim fall down with a sickening sound, landing on Kagome's feet. She yelped in disgust and shock. Suddenly her feet were hot and covered in slick stuff she didn't want to think about. Her thick socks were ruined forever.

Yellow eyes were fixed on the bandit's face twisted in pain and it took Kagome a long while to realize what was wrong with them. Golden irises were surrounded by red. There were no warmth, no playfulness in those eyes, nothing Kagome could remember from her visit in the den. It was like this man was Inuyasha's twin, his features were the same, only the forest spirit she had knew had no purple, jagged markings on his cheeks. Yet his voice - his rough and dark voice she recognized after a moment. He had been talking in this tone once before, while holding her against himself, demanding her life. A shiver ran down her spine.

"I... Inuyasha..." she breathed and the sound of her voice, trembling and full of confusion, caused the forest spirit to look down at her. His long fangs were preventing his mouth from closing, making him look like he was snarling. The hanyou dropped the man and Kagome realized she should be frozen by fear right now. The youki swirling around her was so thick it was hard to breathe. An atavistic feeling enveloped her, she felt like a prey facing a predator. She dared to lift a hand to him, trying to reach his now lowered hands. A spark twinkled in those inhuman eyes she was looking in before he broke the contact and lifted his head. His ears swiveled as if in annoyance or distress as he inhaled deeply and laid his hand on the hilt of Tessaiga at his hip. Kagome felt her fear subside a little as she felt the youki around his body shift. It was not weaker now, but somehow it felt more under control. The markings on his cheeks paled visibly. Time sped up again, the sounds of the humans around them bled in her world.

"Kiba!" he called and a white dog appeared beside her. He was moving soundlessly as he approached her side. "Guard."

Kagome wanted to speak, to do something, but before she swallowed and tried to catch his hand he was gone. Kiba turned his head to sniff her fingers and growled in a soothing manner, as if to tell her she was safe now. She quickly turned to look in direction of a male cry behind her and saw the forest spirit again.

This time he was crouching on the back of the white steed. She could see the horse tremble violently, standing on widely spread legs. It seemed he was too terrified to move, hoping that as long as he was standing still he would survive. The horse knew well what was on his back, a youkai, a predator desiring to kill and willing to do just that. His master was laying on the ground, his head on the other side of the horse. Kagome could see the body of the leader of the bandits kicking like a dead chicken. A part of her mind realized that since Inuyasha's appearance only a few moments had passed. She heard cries of the bandits and villagers in the background but they seemed so distant, flooded by the sound of his fierce growling. He didn't look her way again.

"A youkai! He killed the chief! You gonna pay! Flee! Oh, gods, that's the forest spirit!" Kagome couldn't look away from him to see what was happening to the other villagers. She just hoped none of them was stupid enough to attack the forest spirit when his youki was radiating with desire to harm others. She heard Kaede's voice, calling to the villagers to calm down and stay together. A part of Kagome knew she should do something to help her mother, tell the villagers that the forest spirit was a good person, unwilling to hurt them, that he came to save them yet again. She sat up and slid her feet from under the pile of internal organs of a human. 'Would they believe me after seeing that?' she thought, her gaze leaving Inuyasha's form just for a moment to look at the quickly cooling and awfully smelling stuff. To her shock she realized her trust in him was slowly winning over her fear in her heart. 'He came to help us, he came when I called him. He's just angry and wants to get rid of the bandits,' said a voice in her head. 'He'd never hurt an innocent villager - after all if he would he'd already attack us, we're practically helpless. Still, all he did was to take down the chief of the band and the man who wanted to hurt me...'

The forest spirit suddenly jumped off the horse, the poor steed turned around and ran away immediately after that. Three dogs passed him as he left the square. Kagome was unable to look away as the three canines attacked three men who were on the square, including one of the pair who had brought gold. Where was the rest of the bandits? Kagome realized they could want to flee the village after seeing their comrades killed and not wanting to face the youkai.

Cries closer to the burning shed tore her attention away from the dogs attacking the bandits near to the frightened women and children. Kagome saw three men attacking the forest spirit with their spears at the same time and from different sides. None managed to reach him, one actually pierced a hip of his comrade. They had no time to rethink their strategy. Claws glistering in the faint light of approaching dawn tore their flesh apart with ease and in matter of seconds the square was free from intruders. Inuyasha spared one glance to look at the tied villagers, their women and children before he growled something and ran in direction the bandits had to take to run away from the square and the village. A second passed and in the smoke filled air a cry of fear and pain was heard, quickly followed by others. A part of Kagome wondered if the bandits had reached the outskirts of the village. The women and children started to move again, as if the sounds of fighting (or rather slaughter) were growing further away.

Kaede stood up and tried to approach her daughter, but the big white akita at her side growled at her, laying his ears back. Kagome swallowed, prying her eyes from the place where the figure clad in red had disappeared from her sight, hunting down the bandits, saving her village once more. His dogs remained, circling the perimeter of the free space between the huts, sniffing around. They were ignoring the villagers who ran to free their men or tried to flee the place. Some of the men ran to the pile of weapons to arm themselves. Kagome took a deep breath and lifted her hand to lay it on Kiba's back in a soothing gesture.

"Let her come," she said, trying to sound confident. She had seen the whole pack once, all four dogs had a chance to sniff her hands while Inuyasha was telling her their names. She couldn't recognize one from another, all were white akitas, but she remembered the name Inuyasha had barked just a few minutes ago. The dog tilted his head to the side to glance at her, then simply sat down beside her. Kagome stood slowly and reached for her mother. Kaede grasped her hands, but when she tried to pull Kagome closer the akita growled.

"I'm afraid he wants me to stay here," Kagome said and shook her head. "At least for now."

"You are alright, child?" the old miko asked and Kagome nodded. "I'm glad. I'll go help the others then. If your guard lets you join me. There's much to be done and done quickly."

Kagome gave a firm nod - her mother was quickly regaining her calmness. It was good for a miko to always remain composed, to be a person strong enough to support the village under her care. Kagome always was amazed by Kaede's patience and wisdom. The warm touch of her mother, soothing and reassuring was gone when Kaede stepped back and left her. Kagome looked down to the body beside her feet. Empty eyes of the man who had his guts pulled out of his stomach were reflecting the gray light of the approaching day. He wasn't the first dead man Kagome saw in her life, bu he was the first one killed so violently She realized among all the bandits Inuyasha killed only this one didn't die fast. Then she turned to look in golden eyes of the dog.

"I need to help my kin, Kiba," she said. "You can follow and guard me."

She didn't turn her gaze away, waiting for the dog to do this, to lower his eyes and tilt his head, submitting to her. After a minute he did just that, not challenging her. Now she could finally leave this place, move away from the stench of blood and guts, do what a healer was destined to do. She hurried after Kaede, glad that the forest spirit had taught her a bit about dog's body language. Kiba was following her in silence, ignoring the scared people around him.

Kaede, the headman's wife and Kagome quickly started to calm down the women and finally freed the rest of the men, making those without injuries carry the wounded ones to warmth of huts and the dead ones to be buried among their families. A few men were tasked with collecting bodies of the bandits, throw them on a cart and take them somewhere to the forest. Kagome hadn't time to think if the men wanted to bury them or just throw them away somewhere for wild animals to eat. There was so much to do! The village folk was trying their best to bring their dwelling to the right state, the headman was supervising the collected goods to make sure everyone took only what belonged to them. He was in much pain, having his limbs bandaged, but he refused to rest.

Kagome was so focused on her task of cleaning and bandaging wounds, covering bruises and cuts with ointments, that she didn't notice at first. But eventually she realized that there was not only Kiba beside her now. She was about to enter a house when she saw the face of the woman waiting for her in the doorway turn paler than it already was. Kagome looked back and saw all four akita dogs walking behind her. Yuki waved his tail as he was walking a bit behind the rest, his right front leg not touching the ground when he stopped. The dogs were covered in blood, but Yuki was the only one injured. 'Oh, poor thing. Just wait a moment, I'll take care of you,' Kagome thought as she looked at her favorite from Inuyasha's pack. He was the only one she could recognize and name.

"Don't worry, they won't hurt you," she smiled at the woman. "They're good dogs."

"Where's lady Kaede? I'd prefer her to take care of my son," the woman said, her voice flat.

"Lady Kaede's taking care of the wounded on the other side of the village. This one is under my care," Kagome replied, feeling suddenly old nervousness and anger. This was just like a month ago, when people didn't want her to help them, carry out her duties as a healer, thinking she was cursed. The attitude of majority of the village was much warmer now, but there still were some unwilling to interact with her or let her under their roof. Kagome shook her head inwardly, how could someone be so stupid?

"I see," the woman looked at the dogs and at Kagome again. "I appreciate your will to help, but I will take care of my son myself until lady Kaede's done. I am sure your aid is needed somewhere else."

Some time ago Kagome would argue, try to reason with the woman, even beg to be let in and heal the man. Now she just gave a stiff nod, her expression guarded. There were others needing her attention, those who would let her do her job.

"As you wish," she said. "If you need anything let us know."

She didn't wait for a reply, just turned around and went in direction of an another house. That was when she saw the first rays of sun peek above the horizon, cover the village in golden light. Snow was glittering in it and the air seemed to be clearer suddenly.

The fierce, feral aura of the youkai she was feeling since Inuyasha's first appearance, suddenly faded. It was as if someone blew a candle in a dark room. Kagome stopped and closed her eyes, focusing and scanning the area around her. Fear gripped her heart - was he alright? Why his youki was so strong, so distant from the protective warmth she was used to, and suddenly almost gone? Kagome resisted the urge to run off the village in search for the youkai. She could still feel him nearby, his youki faint because of distance. but familiar and warm instead of burning and almost foreign, there was no reason to panic and run away form her duties. Still, she felt like she was leaving behind a friend needing her aid.

Three more people refused to be healed by her, but luckily all of them were not injured very badly. Kagome was walking to the shrine steps, tired and hoping she could get some rest. She hoped this horrible night was over, that she could return to sleep. She even found a moment to take care of Yuki's injury and change in dry, mostly clean clothes borrowed from an unexpectedly friendly girl. She was walking slowly, wondering if her mother finished healing her part of the village. As she approached the square where not too long ago the whole village had been gathered she saw a much smaller gathering before the foot of the shrine stairs. She recognized the headman, his wife, the village elders, Kaede and some of the villagers, all turned away from her, talking and turning their heads in direction of the stone steps from time to time. Something red was on the stairs of the shrine, close to the end of it. Kagome looked up from the crowd and gasped.

The forest spirit was sitting with his head hanging low, his hands resting on his knees - he looked like he was dozing off in the light of the sun. One ear swiveled in her direction as her pace quickened. As she approached the shrine steps she realized something odd about him - he had Tessaiga at his side. As she thought about it it came to her that he had his sword all this time, just didn't need to unsheathe it, dealing with the bandits with his claws only. Kagome reached her mother's side before the youkai finally lifted his head. Yellow eyes she knew from before were unreadable, but his face was twisted in an annoyed scowl.

"Kiba! Yuki! Chikara! Yami!" all four dogs previously walking behind her jumped forward, passing by the worried humans - well, Yuki just sat before Kagome and whined while his companions quickly returned to their master's side. Inuyasha's ears lowered a little when he was looking at the wounded dog and the miko behind him. Kagome blinked down at Yuki, he wasn't wounded that badly, but maybe he was tired?

Kaede cleared her throat and caught attention of the youkai. It seemed till now he had been ignoring the humans and Kagome was wondering what would Kaede say. It was pretty obvious she was designed to talk to the guardian of the forest, as a miko she had to deal with youkai.

"Forest spirit..." Kaede said slowly, Kagome felt her warm hand wrap around her wrist and squeeze it gently. The young miko smirked at this little gesture of acknowledgment and affection. "We didn't expect you to come to our aid tonight..."

"Feh, I was called," was his harsh reply. The hanyou didn't look away from Kaede's face, but Kagome knew what he meant. And, judging by the murmurs and looks the people around her were sharing they knew as well. 'I screamed his name loud. alright,' she thought with a mixture of worry and pride. It was her doing that he was here now, that he had saved the village again.

"Aye. Yet you never came when my sister called you," Kaede continued. The forest spirit lifted his right hand to his nose and smelled it, cringing. Kagome frowned - could he smell the blood of the bandits on himself? He was clean now, his hands and face weren't covered in the red liquid, but maybe his sensitive nose could pick up some lingering traces of their scent? Three dogs were sitting close to him.

"Looks like that bitch wasn't strong enough. Or Kagome has powers you don't know about," he smirked as some of the elders gasped at the insult to Kikyou's name. He looked at the villagers and his ears twitched. "It's not like I care what happens to your sorry village, those bastards were in my territory. I'd have to hunt them down sooner or later."

"We're still thankful for your help, even if you didn't mean to help us," the headman bowed, supported by his sons. Kagome spared a glance at his face, he was very pale, she hoped he'd go to rest soon. It was not wise to pretend to be fine with his injuries. His wife seemed to share Kagome's feelings as she was looking at her husband with open worry in her eyes.

"Yeah, whatever," the miko saw the forest spirit stand up, his dogs following his lead, their ears perked as they were waiting for him to act or say something more. "The band left their junk in my forest. Send someone to clean it up. If you move your slow asses I can show you the way."  
The headman spared a glance at his sons and then gave a nod.

"As you wish, forest spirit," he said and let his sons take him away, carrying him more than supporting him while walking. Many of the villagers followed him. Kaede turned to look at the youkai.

"Can you sense something in Kagome?" she asked. "Please, forest spi-"

"Shut up, old hag," the hanyou leaped from the stairs, in one second crossing the space between himself and the pair of mikos. Someone behind Kagome gasped and she heard people retreating in fear and shock, unwilling to stay close to a being who could shred them to bits with ease. "Give me my dog back, wench."

His voice was demanding and even Kaede flinched when he stopped just before them, tall and arrogant, dominating the pair of short women in front of himself. Kagome looked into his eyes without fear and stood her ground - he was the same he had been in his den, she knew somehow there was nothing to fear. Not like earlier this night when his eyes were blood red and his youki almost choking. Now it was still fierce, but lacking in blood lust department. He was ill-tempered and unpredictable, but Kagome believed he'd listen to rational arguments.

"He's injured," she said and knelt down to hug the still sitting dog between them. Yuki laid his ears back and whined, not daring to look at the inu hanyou. "I wrapped his leg, but I'm sure he can't make it to your den on his own. It's too far.

"Then I'll carry him," he suddenly crouched, scowling at her. "There's no way in hell I'm leaving one of my dogs with humans."

He reached a hand to grasp Kagome's arm and pull it off Yuki's neck. Kagome frowned, favoring the hanyou with the most stern gaze she could muster.

"He stays," she said firmly. The forest spirit growled, showing his fangs.

"Nope, wench," he barked at her and she felt his fingers wrap around her wrist, so she pulled the poor dog closer to herself. Yuki, caught between two rather stubborn people glare-fighting above his head, whined helplessly and turned his pleading eyes on Kaede. The old miko sighed and shook her head as if to say that she'd not step between her daughter and the forest spirit. Instead she was observing them closely, comparing their interactions to what she remembered her sister's interaction with the forest spirit had been.

Kagome noticed the old miko reach between the layers of her robe before pulling something from between them. Inuyasha, too focused on staring at Kagome and slowly pulling her hand away from his neck - as if not wanting to put too much force in it not to hurt her or the dog, seemed not to notice what Kaede was doing. Kagome opened her mouth to say something. She could just watch her mother's hand rise, the object in her grip swaying on a light breeze as she lifted it above Inuyasha's head. The young miko was shocked and terrified. What her mother was doing? That was insane, it couldn't work! It'd anger him, it'd make him think the villagers hated him! She had to warn him, she had to show, to tell her mother he wasn't an evil youkai, that he had killed humans to protect the village, that... 'Mother, how can you...' A thought struck her - maybe Kaede was holding s grudge? Was it not Inuyasha who had inflicted mortal wounds on Kikyou, her beloved older sister all those years ago?

"Inu..." she started, his eyes widened as he heard the warning, scared tone in her voice. But it was already too late. The old miko dropped the object.

A/N 2:  
Sorry for leaving you here, but I promise the next chapter will appear as soon as possible. Meanwhile you can wonder what will happen next :D  
My question for you is: which Inuyasha growls the best?


	11. The Test

A/N: Okay, lemme thank you all for sticking with me and reading this story! It's kinda relieving to see that there are people as excited about this story as I am!  
Also sorry I posted the previous chapter twice, but I found some of the mistakes you told me about and had to re upload the text to fix them. Consider the last part a sorry-for-spamming-your-mail-with-notifications gift.

* * *

 **The Test**

* * *

"Inu..." she started, his eyes widened as he heard the warning, scared tone in her voice. But it was already too late. The old miko dropped the object.

Inuyasha's hold on her wrist disappeared instantly and the hanyou jumped back. A white slip of paper waved as he landed in a crouch on the first step of the shrine steps, glaring and growling viciously. The villagers behind the two miko moved even further back.

"Old hag!" he tensed and Kagome saw pain in his eyes, mixed with anger and bitterness. One hand reached up, but it couldn't touch the slip of paper. Kagome heard an ugly sound and saw that the claws of his other hand were scratching the surface of the stone under him. Three dogs, till now standing at ready on the side now circled the old miko, growling and laying back their ears. Even Yuki let loose a low growl, ignoring Kagome's embrace. "Damn you!"

"Mother!" Kagome rose to her feet, not feeling comfortable with hugging a dog which seemed to want to attack her adoptive mother. She could see the spell glow faintly with pink light, she could see lines of this light run around the hanyou, wrapping around his form. "Why did you do this?"

"Take this thing off of me or I'm turning this fuckin' poor excuse for a villa-!" the rest of his words turned in a growl. Kagome tensed hearing rage and pain in his voice. The forest spirit would probably attack the old miko already, but the spell was binding him even tighter. The only female dog in his pack barked as if demanding the old woman to free the red clad man. The rest lowered their heads, preparing to jump at Kaede. A memory of the same dogs tackling down bandits and latching onto their throats flashed in Kagome's mind. She was sure her mother had seen this as well, why was she so calm now? What was she doing? And more importantly - what was she thinking?

"Calm down, forest spirit," Kaede said, raising her hands as if to plead with the irate youkai glaring daggers at her. Then she glanced at Kagome. "And you too, child. I mean no harm to come to the noble protector of this forest and our village. As long as he is unwilling to hurt an innocent human the spell cannot influence him."

"I'm goon' to kill ya first 'fore you die of old age, hag!" the forest spirit shook visibly, unable to move his limbs, to free himself. 'He must feel like a caged wild animal..." Kagome thought.

"Mother! Please, free him. He's a good youkai, he just saved us, we can't repay him by putting a spell on him!" Kagome begged and upon seeing her mother unwilling to move and take off the slip of paper turned to Inuyasha. 'If she doesn't want to I will try,' she thought, hoping that she could break the spell and free him. She could see the pain and anger in his eyes, but also bitter sorrow and distrust. 'What have you done, mother?' There was no way he'd let his guard down even a little now, it'd be a miracle if he wanted to even speak to them or... Kagome swallowed - would he want to see her again, continue meeting under the Tree of Ages? She could hear her mother speak when she started to walk towards him, not minding his dogs.

"The spell binds only those spirits who hold ill will towards humans. Once cast it can't be removed. If the forest spirit's indeed the same he had been and doesn't find joy in killing humans the spell will vanish by itself. My sister created this spell to test the forest spirit and make the villagers put their fears aside. I didn't think I'd have to use it, but after witnessing tonight I thought it'd be wise to show everyone if the youkai of Inuyasha's Forest has a corrupted heart or not. Remember, child, he had destroyed the village fifty years ago in a fit of rage, there were rumors about other vile deeds," Kaede explained. She had to speak a little louder than usual to be hard above the growling of the dogs - Inuyasha suddenly grew suspiciously quiet when Kaede had mentioned her sister. As Kagome looked at him she saw it was not because he was calming down, his eyes were full of hate, his expression frozen in a snarl. The young miko looked at him in panic, his body was still like a statue and the pink lines were growing in number and thickening around him, covering almost all of him. 'Can he breathe bound like this? Oh, mother, why did you anger him so much?' With a cry of fear she ran to him and laid her both hands on his shoulders. She could feel the heat of the spell on her skin. How painful it was for him? Did he feel betrayed once again?

"Inuyasha!" she called to him, her face mere inches from his own. Now all he could see was her, not her mother or the curious and afraid villagers. "Oh, Inuyasha... Please, listen to mother and don't be angry... Please..."

Kagome reached to tear the paper from his ear but she couldn't pull it away no mater how hard she tried. Her hand slipped down the side of his head where a human would have an ear. She tried to blink away tears as she gazed into his eyes, darkened by emotions he couldn't express in any other way now.. She had to find a way to help him somehow. He was her friend, she couldn't let the spell bind him forever.

'Just a month ago he was freed, it's not fair!' she thought. The spell had been created by Kikyou and her sister cast it on Inuyasha. Kagome dreaded the outcome of this. 'What will he do when he's free again? Will he attack mother? Or attempt to destroy the village? Will he hate us?'

Kagome looked back at the old miko. Kaede was simply standing there, wrapped in a mantle and watching the dogs surrounding her. She lifted her gaze to lock it with Kagome's eyes. Kagome saw patience and warmth in her only eye, concern and worry.

"Don't be scared, child. You know I, as much as yourself, want him to pass this test. The forest spirit was living in this forest long before my sister and I came here. It'd be a great loss for us to lose a good youkai, there's so little of them,," Kaede said. "Yet I had to do this." As she was speaking the headman's oldest son came near her. He was holding a long, heavy stick and looking at the dogs growling at the old priestess. Around ten other young men were following him. "Stay back, Hiroshi," Kaede warned the man. "There's no need to harm the dogs, they're merely worried about their master."

"Uh... Yes, lady Kaede," he stepped back. "Father sent us because the forest spirit requested our help with some stuff."

"Aye. Wait a minute. I think it won't take much longer," Kaede replied in the same calm tone and turned to Kagome. Kagome's hand gripped the fabric of Inuyasha's kimono on his shoulder tightly. 'Yeah, right, he already can't move and barely breathes... Oh, Inuyasha...' "My daughter, you had ordered the dogs earlier, can you order them to calm down? I think everyone would feel more at ease if they'd stop treating me like an enemy."

Kagome considered telling her mother that she'd not do this. After all there was a chance the dogs wouldn't listen to her - she was a villager and a relative of the woman who had cast the spell on the forest spirit. She wanted to trust Kaede that she really meant no harm to him, but the look in his yellow eyes, so full of emotions, told her how painful it was for him. Kagome looked past Kaede, at the crowd of the villagers. 'If I call back the dogs and they obey... Would they think I'm connected to the forest spirit more than I actually am? Would they think I am... That he... We... What would give a miko power over dogs of an inu youkai? And if they don't obey...? Will they think it's because I'm weak?'

A warm nose nuzzled her neck so suddenly she yelped and tensed. Yet before she could leap back she heard a voice, a rough whisper sounding exhausted and at the same time so calm and pleased. That was the voice of a man who drank his first cup of water after days on a desert. Of a man who almost drowned and found safe solid ground.

"...Smells nice..."

Kagome looked back at the forest spirit, blushing fiercely, but all she could see was his white head of hair and his ear mere centimeters from her face. It swiveled in her direction as if listening to her breathing. As her breath tickled the sensitive skin covered by the most velvety fur the forest spirit shivered and with an exhale let out a strange noise. The dogs ceased their growling and barking and turned their attention to their master.

The young miko awkwardly moved back and saw that majority of the pink light was no more surrounding the red clad man as he was breathing deeply. His eyes were closed, his expression unreadable, tension leaving his body as he slowly shifted to more comfortable position. She reached to his ear and pulled at the slip of paper. The spell vanished and the paper was pure white. As Kagome turned to her mother, still holding the paper, her expression was puzzled. Kaede stole a glance at the paper and gave a warm smile.

"Aye, child. As I predicted the forest spirit's free of ill will towards our kin..." she started.

"That's so fuckin' lucky for ya, old hag," Kagome tensed hearing a low growl behind herself. One could say presenting her back to the angry forest spirit wasn't the wisest idea. 'But a moment ago he seemed so peaceful, so calm! There was no hint of anger in his aura, his face was so serene!'

"...Unless angered," Kaede's face paled a little. Kagome immediately spun around and looked at the hanyou with pleading eyes. 'Oh, goodness, I'm stuck between them, I must find a way...'

"Inuyasha, don't be mad, please! Mother only wanted..." she started and fell silent when his yellow eyes turned to look at her.

"Do you know how it hurt, wench?" he lowered his ears. To her relief he didn't leave his spot and start fulfilling his threats. "Just because that ugly witch had to confirm her little theory on me! I can't believe I ever let her close to me, after all she's the same like that traitorous bitch!"

"It would hurt less if you were more careful about picking your words and listened to me earlier," Kaede walked to stand beside her daughter, probably not wanting the petite girl to face the powerful and angry youkai alone. Kagome could see the scowl form on his face as the older woman approached. Kagome was observing him as he lowered himself a little, as if preparing to leap. 'He didn't listen to you,' Kagome realized suddenly. 'He started to calm down when I talked to him... And then he smelled me and the spell vanished. Can it be that... I made him calm down and cease wanting to attack mother...?' the young miko looked at her mother. It seemed it was right, Kaede's closer proximity was making the forest spirit wary and annoyed, there was no way he'd obey or even listen to what she had to say right now. "The spell hurt you because you said that you wanted to attack a human."

"I saved your sorry asses tonight and that's how you say thanks. Not that I expected more from her sister," the forest spirit growled, his eyes studying the older priestess for a long minute before looking at his dogs. He shook his head as he saw Yuki sitting between others. "I'm tired of the stench of your dump of a village," he spat in general direction of the villagers and went to his dogs, passing beside Kagome and not looking at her. Yuki yelped when the forest spirit bent down and picked him up, his paws dangling in the air.

"Inuyasha..." Kagome started, but he ignored her. The hanyou walked to the young men who were now looking at his bare feet, not brave enough to lift their eyes. Some of them had seen what he could do to a HUMAN and Kagome doubted any of them was ever closer to a youkai. 'They must feel so vulnerable...'

"You hurt what's mine and I hurt what's yours," the forest spirit growled at the headman's son. "Understood?" the last word was sharp and demanding instant submission. Kagome shivered, she'd not like to be on the receiving end of the glare the forest spirit was giving the man.

"Um... Eh... Yes, forest spirit," the man, tall and muscular, seemed to grow much smaller in a matter of seconds.

"Good. Move your asses. I want to leave this damn place already," Inuyasha made an inhuman noise and suddenly three dogs sprang to a run, leaving the square as silently as ghosts, Inuyasha following them in a much slower pace. Yuki whined from his master's grasp and Kagome smiled at him.

"Bye, cute face," she whispered. Inuyasha's ears swiveled back and Kagome realized he had to hear this. The young miko clasped her hand over her mouth. 'Oh, goodness!'

"Oi, wench," the forest spirit stopped.

"Y-yes?" she uttered.

"Don't call me again. I'm tired of saving ungrateful weaklings."

"Oi, dog." Kagome realized it was her voice calling when it was too late. The forest spirit turned his head to look at her. His golden eyes were narrowed.

"Huh?"

"Forget about sweet dumplings. Like forever."

After that she turned on her heels and started to climb the shrine steps. She missed the twinkle in yellow eyes and the small smirk on his lips, as did the rest of the puny humans because the forest spirit turned again and resumed his walk. He had to show the men where the bandits' wagons and spare horses were.

.

Inuyasha was walking through his forest. There was no need to run, he could enjoy some quiet and think. He had led the men to the bandits' stuff and had left them there, knowing well that they'd take all of it to the village. The hanyou couldn't care less what would happen to the treasures. The memories of the night were hazy and fractured - a clear sign that he was close to losing himself, despite carrying Tessaiga.

Yet he could remember clearly the petite miko thrown over a shoulder of a man, He could remember her wide eyes when she saw him kill that man, he still could remember the smell of her fear. 'Was she afraid of me? She saw me almost transformed entirely. It had to make her realize that I'm a dangerous monster, not a noble guardian spirit...' He shook his head, trying to push worries away. 'If she fears me now I can make her see I'm not a beast. I can at least try' The little conversation they shared, her willingness to help him break the spell gave him hope that the young woman wouldn't treat him like a rabid dog.

Yuki sighed, probably unhappy that he couldn't run by himself and Inuyasha looked down at him. He looked at the bandage wrapped around his injury. "Crazy wench, what kind of a miko would treat wounds of a dog. A youkai's dog?'

"Kagome would." He didn't have to focus to remember her voice from the time when he had been still under the seal.

"I like dogs, you know, forest spirit. I like cats, too," a small chuckle. "I have a cat, his name is Buyo and he's so lazy he'd not get up even if a herd of sheep was running his way. He sometimes wakes me up in the middle of a night and nuzzles my cheek and won't stop nagging me until I get up and give him something to eat or rub his belly..."

"Lucky fucker.'

Something fell from a branch when he was walking under it.

"Master! I'm so gal-"

"Oi, Myouga, you fled again," Inuyasha said in a bored tone. "Not that I expected anything else..."

"M-master! I was busy somewhere else!" the flea was looking at him warily. "When the pack came to the den I immediately went to find you... Master, is there..."

"Listen, I don't feel like talking about it now."

"Ah... I see," the flea was still staring at him.

"Quit staring!" Inuyasha barked, annoyed. He knew what Myouga wanted to ask him. 'He's curious if I managed to stay sane until the sunrise.'

"So... How is mistress Kagome?" the flea asked when they were nearing the den. Inuyasha grit his teeth.

"She ain't your mistress, flea! And if you call her that again I swear I'll tie you up and leave you for your fiancee to find!"

Myouga visibly paled and looked around, as if afraid the said woman would jump from behind a tree.

"So... How is she?" he asked after a moment of tension.

"Fine," Inuyasha shrugged. A small smirk tugged on the corners of his mouth as he thought about the girl. She didn't despise him, didn't fear to touch him, even after seeing him slaughter her kin without mercy. She actually dared to tease him. She... 'She was the reason the spell didn't purify my sorry ass. It was so easy to focus on her scent... On her. On the hope that she could actually like me.'

A/N 2: Oh, my, I had fun creating this chapter. I can't wait to see Kagome and Inuyasha interact! Hopefully Kagome will not fear Inu and will go to meet him under their tree. And hopefully Inu will explain to her what happened.  
How the village will react to all what happened? After all many people saw Kagome and Inuyasha on the shrine steps, not mentioning the little incident with summoning the forest spirit. Will the villagers trust Inuyasha now? And will he trust Kaede? Will the villagers accept the bond between their young miko and the forest spirit? Or will they see her as a fallen woman, bewitched by the handsome guy with the cutest ears ever?

Sorry, guys, the beads have to wait a little longer. But I can promise you, Inu will be subdued. Somehow. By someone. Probably.


	12. The Night Council

Summary: Kagome listens to the village council.

A/N: I'm trying to make shorter chapters - like 2-3k words - and post them faster. Hopefully it will work.  
Thank you all for reviews, your kind words always made me smile. Thanks to you I'm writing more again.

* * *

 **The Night Council**

* * *

Kagome woke up from a dream. It was not a surprise things from the previous day were in it - the fire coloring everything in orange light, the awful smell of steaming human guts, the blood red mixed with pale gold in the forest spirit's eyes, the echo of her voice calling him by his name, swallowed in the joined growls of the hanyou and his dogs. The look in eyes of some of the villagers, wary and confused. The forest spirit whispering in her ear, his warm breath tickling the sensitive skin of her neck. 'Smells nice...'

The young miko took a deep breath and pulled her covers under her chin, shielding herself from everything. 'It was just a dream,' she thought taking deep, steady breaths. She tried to focus on the more peaceful part of the day. She remembered the men bringing back to the village two wagons filled with all kinds of goods - sacks of rice and vegetables, dried meat, some pots, weapons and clothes. It seemed their village wasn't the first one on their path. The village got also eleven horses. 'Inuyasha didn't take anything,' Kagome thought. 'According to Hiroshi he just led them to the spot where all of this was hidden and left them there, not even saying a word.' Kagome swallowed as she remembered that the men found one more body there, head almost severed from the rest of it. Then the villagers prepared a small feast to celebrate that the village wasn't destroyed - Kagome remembered that she heard singing and laughing when she had been climbing the shrine steps the last time this day. She had stayed for a part of the feast, but she had been tired, exhausted in fact. And she knew that she had to get up the next morning and do things around the shrine and in the village. There were injured people she had to visit. Still, all she wanted to do the next day was to run to the forest and just walk between the sleeping trees, watch the wild animals around her, breathe freely...

'I should try to go back to sleep, not think about all of that,' she scolded herself and gripped tighter the edge of her blanket. It had been a tiring, long day full of emotionally and physically challenging things. Her body and mind needed rest, but she couldn't stop the thoughts and memories buzzing in her head. She could at least let her muscles relax in the warmth and safety of her bed.

"So... Lady Kaede, what is your opinion?" Kagome's mind suddenly went quiet. 'Who...?' She almost sat up, looking around for the man speaking, she recognized the headman's voice. 'What is he doing here? It's long past midnight!' Kagome noticed a faint ray of light under the mat covering the entrance to her and her mother's little bedroom. Her mother's bed was still untouched. It seemed that there were more than only her mother and the headman in the main room of their home, Kagome could hear movement of at least ten people, cups touching the wood and occasionally someone coughing. 'Is it possible it's a council? But why do they hold it so late? Did they wait for the feast to end?'

Kagome heard some movement after the man spoke. She could imagine her mother shift on her spot while thinking.

"I watched the forest spirit closely, old friend," Kagome held her breath, Kaede was speaking in a calm tone, authority and confidence clear in her words. It was the same tone she was using while giving advice and passing her judgments. It was the tone making people do what she wanted, believe in her wisdom and good will. "And I put the spell on him just as I had told you before. Everyone saw the forest spirit wasn't purified or petrified, so there's no worry that he'd suddenly turn evil and bloodthirsty on us."

"But he promised to kill you, lady Kaede!" Kagome bit her bottom lip upon hearing the voice of one of the farmers, the man was surely frowning in concern. "He promised to destroy the village just like..."

"And yet he didn't do it after the spell was gone," Kaede cut in. Kagome smiled. 'Exactly. He did nothing to harm us, even when he was shouting and swearing. And you should thank him and say you're sorry for putting the spell on him, for doubting him.' "So even if he was threatening us he wasn't going to actually do that. Rest assured, my daughter and I wouldn't let any youkai attack the village."

"Your daughter," grumbled the smith, his low voice filling the little bedroom, loud and clear. Kagome doubted he was concerned about interrupting her sleep. She never liked his family, his sons were always mean to her and other girls sometimes too. "You mean the girl you took in and who released that wild dog to do whatever he wants. I bet her curse isn't gone and she'll bring more youkai to our village. My wife said his dogs were following her everywhere like puppies follow a bitch."

Kagome gasped at the harsh words. 'You... You...!"

"Shut up!" an another voice scolded him before she could come up with an insult in her mind. "She's going to be our miko one day! You should respect her and not speak in such manner about her."

"Yeah, she'll be our miko, unless the mutt spirits her away before she gets strong enough to fight!" Kagome heard a sound of a fist hitting a hand. The young healer curled in a ball under her blanket, shiver running down her spine. 'I'm not cursed! And Inuyasha's dogs were following me because they know and trust me! And you are a fat jerk who has less brain than a hammer!'

"Lady Kaede, I apologize for him, he's an idiot," said the headman. Kagome could hear in his voice he really meant that. 'At least the headman's sorry for this moron. Why is the smith like this? I've never done anything to make him hate me.'

"Yes, indeed, he is." Kaede hummed, her voice firm and cooler than usually. 'Oh, mother will remember what he said... And I'll remember too...' "Kagome's an unique child, she has a good heart and strong will. Her spiritual powers did manifest quite late in her life and grow slowly, but the forest spirit said she possesses other powers..." she trailed off, as if drowning in her thoughts for a long minute. Everyone in the main room were waiting for her to speak in silence and Kagome herself found herself holding her breath and curling her hands into fists. Her mother was wise and her opinion was the one which mattered the most to Kagome.

"I saw all the bandits," suddenly spoke a rough voice, Kagome realized it was one of the hunters, Ken, their unofficial leader. "All were killed fast, almost all of them had their throats cut by claws. Only the one who tried to... Take the young miko was killed differently," Kagome swallowed, remembering the screams of the man while the forest spirit was pulling his guts out. "I wonder if the forest spirit was trying to warn us. You know - whoever tries to hurt the young miko ends up like this. I wonder if he'd extend this to talking lowly about her," Kagome felt an urge to growl when she heard the smith's muffled noise of annoyance.

"Divine punishment," Kaede said, no amusement in her voice.

"Exactly," Ken said. "No matter what you do remember this warning. Youkai who are like animals often act like them. And I wouldn't ignore such a warning from a dog."

"I heard inu youkai are extremely territorial and possessive," added someone else in a slightly trembling voice, obviously afraid.

"He had helped us before because the young miko freed him," a quiet, tired voice added, from the sound of it the speaker was sitting just next to the doorway to the bedroom. "And she is lady Kikyou's reincarnation, maybe that's why acted this way."

"Was it not that she promised him to let him kill her?" asked someone else.

"So why did he not do it yet? She's lady Kikyou's reincarnation and he could get his revenge by doing that, but she's still alive. And by looks of that he wants her to stay this way," the previous person argued.

"Maybe she has some power over him? After all lady Kikyou's seal held him in sleep for five decades and would probably hold him for many more," mused someone else .Kagome remembered the look on Inuyasha's face when he had been talking to her about the darkness of the spell and telling her their deal was no more, that she was free.

Kagome wasn't sure what to think about it all. The people in the other room didn't know she was listening, she was sure at least some of them would choose their words more carefully knowing she was aware of them. She felt bitter and uncertain what she should do and think. A part of her wanted just to get up and run off the hut, the village, those people who were talking about things they didn't know anything about. Yet as much as she wanted to do this she knew it was stupid. She couldn't just run away, she had to deal with it... Somehow.

Kagome knew that some of the villagers were thinking similar things the smith was voicing so boldly. 'A cursed weakling,' she though. Yet it seemed that majority of the village was not like this, at least not anymore or in front of Kaede. She decided to avoid the mean ones, there wasn't really much she could do than she was already doing. Hopefully, one day they'd change their mind about her. Hiding or running away would just prove she was really weak and stupid.

"Can we focus on more important things?" asked the miller politely, but sounding annoyed and bored. "We know now that the youkai is not a threat to us, as long as we follow the old rules. Our young miko has some influence on him, which is even better, because she's a good person and wouldn't use her powers against us. That's enough for me to know about the supernatural stuff. Let's better think what to do with the bandits' things and how to protect the village from other attacks. We all know we were extremely lucky today."

"Hah, don't worry about it, the girl will call her puppy and he'll come here running!" the smith chuckled.

"Akira!" called a few people, obviously angry and shocked. Kagome bit her bottom lip hard to prevent herself from getting up and going to the other room to slap the man.

"I wonder who's bewitched - the beast or the girl!"

"Akira," Kaede's voice was suddenly very stern and cold. It made Kagome froze. "You speak once again like this and you go to the next village to get a miko to help your family. I think we all heard enough of your nonsense. My daughter is not under any spell and I doubt she could charm a youkai as strong as the forest spirit right now."

"Did any of you consider the fact that maybe the forest spirit..." started someone, but Kagome never heard his theory.

"We're drifting away from mundane things. Again," the miller groaned. "I know you all are excited because all of it is unusual, but I'm sure that we should leave the youkai and miko stuff to our mikos and trust them to do the right thing. Meanwhile we have goods to sort and I'd like to do it fast so we could go to bed."

"I must agree," the headman backed him up. "I am sure we all should leave this matter to those trained to deal with it. We will have enough on our hands without this. I am just relieved that the forest spirit's not a vile mononoke. Now, I have here a list of all what we got from the wagons. I think we should give the most of it to those who suffered the most from the attack."

Kagome couldn't stop a small smile curling upwards the corners of her mouth. The faith the miller had in her mother and herself was warming her heart, especially after the smith's words. And the headman agreed with him, many of the villagers would follow his lead/ As the men were talking how to divide the stuff left by the bandits Kagome was thinking about the matters more closer to her.

It wasn't the first time she heard someone talking about her curse being the reason of someone's (and her own) bad luck. But it was the first time someone told it right in front of Kaede. It was warming her heart to see that there were more people willing to defend her against such accusations. She was wondering if seeing the forest spirit obey her (well, to some extent) made them think she was actually stronger than she really was. 'They think I can have some power over him... Maybe they don't care what the bond between us is, as long as the outcome is the faith that I can make him do something or stop him...' In reality Kagome didn't feel like she could order the inu hanyou to do anything, she definitely had no power to stop him. But the villagers didn't have to know that.

Definitely the likes of the smith didn't deserve any details about their friendship - Kagome dared to call it that because she really wanted to be his friend and it seemed he liked her enough. She didn't feel like sharing her secrets even with those people who were actually friendly towards her, she couldn't be sure they really felt that way. They could be like Ken, just trying to play safe and be on her good side. And, even if she still trusted Kaede, she didn't feel like confessing more things about Inuyasha to her - at last not for a long time.

'So... Nothing really changed,' Kagome sighed and wrapped her blanket around herself tightly. 'I'm still not the miko they want me to be, but some of them realize I still can do something for the village. I wish there were people who would like me just because I am myself,' as she thought that a vision of smiling Shippou came to her mind and with this image she drifted to sleep.

A/N 2: You don't even know how tiring it was to write this chapter. What do you think? Who wants to kick the smith's butt?


	13. The Pack

Summary: The first meeting after the full moon.  
A/N: You don't even know how hard it is not to give in to my desire to write fluff interrupted by pwp with some additional fighting here and there.  
You asked for some Inu and Kag interactions - here you go, enjoy!  
Also thank you all for reviews, it still amazes me how many of you like this fic.

* * *

 **The Pack**

* * *

Kagome cleaned a spot for herself on a root of the Tree of Ages, as Inuyasha was calling it. Kaede and those of the villagers, who didn't fear going so deep in the forest, were calling it Goshinboku - the Sacred Tree.

Three days passed since the bandit attack, since the night meeting in Kaede's house. The young miko had been quiet and didn't talk much to her mother, even when Kaede had been trying to start a conversation and learn what had been bothering her. 'How could I tell her I heard everything they said about me and Inuyasha? What would happen? It's not like she could make the people change their minds, she already did what she could. She'd just be upset and more worried.' It was better to just ignore the rude and hurting words of the smith, after all she knew now how much he didn't like her and hated youkai. He wasn't the only one like this in the village, but only he was bold enough to voice his opinion just like during that night. 'No person can be liked by everyone,' she thought to herself. 'And I rather want to be disliked by this man than by someone I really care about.'

Kagome was quite surprised so many people wanted to stand up for her. The knowledge that majority of the villagers disapproved the smith's words was... Soothing. It was making her anxiety, her sadness, smaller. It gave her hope and the more she was thinking about the more she was smiling again. Even if they were just playing safe it was enough, she felt much better around people who were acting politely, no matter what they thought. She could hope she could make them trust her and trust Inuyasha one day.

Still, she felt out of place, it was hard to focus on her chores and lessons. She needed to take a small break from the villagers looking at her with curiosity, uncertain hope or distrust. She had to visit a certain place. So when Kaede had told her this morning that she could go to the forest and look for birch bark after finishing her morning duties Kagome did just that.

She put her bag beside her and closed her eyes, inhaling deeply the fresh scent of the forest, the peaceful silence of trees. She was in the forest, where she could be herself and no one would judge her, think she was cursed or give her weird stares. It was calming her, as always. 'Maybe I should live here instead of the village, it's not too far, people could come to me if I was needed...' the thought was a pleasant one and she entertained it for a little bit, daydreaming about a small hut hidden behind the majestic bark of the Sacred Tree, long walks through the forest in search of herbs... She could almost imagine this all.

"Oi!" called a familiar voice.

'He came,' a small, shy smile appeared on her lips. 'I wasn't here even for ten minutes...'

"Oi yourself, forest spirit," Kagome lifted her eyelids and looked around to see that no one was around. Her smile faded. 'Did I imagine his voice?' she thought both embarrassed and disappointed. 'I'm so stupid...' She was about to lower her head and try to meditate again, after all she couldn't spend here too much time, she had a task to do. Just then she heard a branch creak above her head and something red and white landed just before her. A pair of yellow eyes was focused on her face when she reflexively lifted her gaze to the source of the sound. A second later she dropped it and saw a small smirk forming on his lips.

"Too slow, wench. It'd already hit you," he stated. She couldn't decide if she was more annoyed by this comment or happy that he actually came to see her.

"And that's why you're smirking?" she asked and saw one of his ears twitch. Kagome had to resist the sudden urge to tug at this furry ear of his.

"No! I'm glad you came," he growled. "Was pretty sure you're scared shitless and won''t come. Or that the old witch won't let you."

"Actually she sent me here. For birch bark," she lifted her still empty bag. "And, please, don't call her a witch. She's a good miko and..."

"Bullshit, priestesses aren't good. At least not for youkai," he lowered his ears, still crouching before her. Kagome frowned at him. A part of her was extremely happy that they met and were talking, but it seemed that it wouldn't be a peaceful conversation, more like bickering. To her surprise it was fine with her. 'At least he sees me, not a cursed girl or a weak copy.'

"And what about me?" she asked. The forest spirit tilted his head to the side, just like a confused dog.

"What's about you?"

"I am a miko. Does it mean you think I'm bad?" she glared at him.

"You ain't like a real miko," was his instant reply.

"Yes, I am! Wanna me show you?" she lifted a hand and focused her spiritual powers, knowing that he could see the glow around her fingers. To her annoyance he narrowed his eyes and leaned in as if trying to see something extremely small. "Hey!" Kagome pushed him in his chest with her foot, causing him to fall back on his behind. He quickly jumped to his feet and flashed his fangs, but she could see that he was smirking, not snarling. Then his smirk faded a little when he was observing her grip her bag.

"You can get this shit for the old hag later. I want to show you something," he said, suddenly serious and anxious. Kagome blinked at him, she expected him to continue teasing her. "I mean if you trust me enough after the full moon. If you don't it's okay." He turned sideways and stuffed his hands in his sleeves.

Kagome shook her head. Of course while he had been running around and killing people she had been scared - who wouldn't be in such circumstances? Yet her fear of him had not lasted long, it had disappeared as soon as she had realized he hadn't been there to hurt her and other villagers but to help them. Somewhere in the vibrant, fierce youki of the forest spirit she had felt the Inuyasha she started to get to know, the one who had listened to her secrets. 'It wasn't the first time I saw him kill.'

"I am not afraid of you, Inuyasha," the young miko assured him with a soft smile, looking in his golden eyes and trying to put all her friendliness and warmth in her gaze. The forest spirit averted his eyes, but his ears were perked and turned her way. "And I trust you."

The small smirk returned and it looked like he wanted to say something, but she was faster.

"Still, I'd like you to explain to me what happened," she said as she stood up and walked to him. She wanted him to know she would accept everything he'd tell her, that he had her trust and friendship. He let his hands fall loosely to his sides and eyed her warily. "Why were your youki and appearance so different? It felt... Off."

Inuyasha's ears lowered a little and he frowned, obviously picking the right words.

"It was because it was the full moon night," he said slowly. "My youkai time."

"A youkai time?" Kagome repeated and immediately looked to his ears, the most obvious sign of his mixed blood. "So you can change into a youkai? Why?" Inuyasha scowled at her.

"You don't know anything about hanyou, huh?" he shook his head. "I'll tell you if you want to, but we should be on our way. Get on."

Kagome was presented with his back as he knelt in the snow before her, indicating he wanted her to climb on his back. The young miko was thinking about this offer for a moment before approaching him and wrapping her arms around his neck. Two clawed hands deftly grabbed her legs under her knees and pulled her closer to him until she was wrapping her legs around his waist. 'How long it was since someone carried me this way?' Kagome thought as the forest spirit stood up, balancing their joined weight on his bare feet. She felt her cheeks turn pink as she felt his body against hers.

The next second Kagome almost strangled the hanyou with her arms and screamed so loud a bird flew away from a nearby tree in fear.

"Oi! Wench!" Inuyasha growled, this time balancing on a thin branch high above the meadow. "Be quiet!"

"Height!" Kagome gasped, her eyes squeezed shut so she couldn't see anything anymore. The hanyou snickered and she tugged on one of his forelocks. The forest spirit let out a small growl and jumped to a nearby tree limb. She could feel it sway under them and it was at the same time terrifying and exciting.

Kagome didn't dare to open her eyes while he was jumping from branch to branch. She could feel the wind blowing past her and it made her realize they were moving fast. His hold on her legs was firm, reassuring, his back warm even through layers of their clothes. As he was jumping through trees she nuzzled his shoulder and inhaled deeply. taking in the scent of the man holding her so intimately. She pressed her face more in the silver mane of hair smelling a little like a dog, wind and forest. It was a mistake.

"Smelling something interesting?" Inuyasha asked, his tone almost casual, but Kagome heard a hint of tension in it. He jumped to the ground and continued his journey on the ground, moving much slower. Kagome didn't notice that because she was busy blushing.

"You smell like a dog," she uttered after a minute of awkwardness. The forest spirit shrugged.

"I am a dog youkai, it'd be odd if I smelled different," he replied and suddenly leaped up, as if jumping above something. Kagome gasped when she felt something hot around her, but the feel was gone in a second. The forest spirit landed and stopped, releasing her legs. "We're here. Let go of me."

Kagome slid off his back and opened her eyes. It was at the same time so good to stand on solid ground and so cold to be deprived of his warmth. They were in front of a mansion cuddled to a cliff face - she recognized it immediately.

"Your den?" the young miko turned to face the forest spirit, but he was already walking away from her. He waved his hand for her to follow, so she did just that, walking after him and looking around.

She had seen the outside of the den only once, while leaving it. Now she could look around without being dragged in twilight by a hanyou. The mansion looked old, but well-kept, now covered in snow and with icicles adorning the roof. Between it and a stone fence (more like a wall in fact because it was around three meters tall) were growing a few trees. The fence had only one entrance - a solid gate which was always closed. The whole structure seemed to glow with faint reddish light - it was where the barrier was located, shielding the whole den from any danger. To her surprise she could sense it above her head as well, there was a red tint to the blue sky making it look violet as if it was sunset already. The cliff was smooth, nothing could climb down it's face.

"Oi!" Kagome looked where Inuyasha was standing beside a small door in the building. She ran to his side and walked through it when he opened it for her. A warm gust of air came from inside and in the dim light she could see a spacious room. Inuyasha closed the door behind them and the only source of light was a window to their left. Kagome took a few steps inside before...

"Kagome!" a familiar voice cried in joy and at the same moment Shippou jumped at her to hug her. The young miko smiled so widely her cheeks hurt when she hugged him back and ruffled his red hair.

"Hello, Shippou! I missed you so much!" she said. "Why did you not visit me?"

"I wanted to go with Inuyasha to save you, but he didn't let me and then he didn't let me go out," the fox looked above her shoulder to glare at the hanyou before he looked back at Kagome. "He closed me in a room for the whole night! I was worried about you!"

"Keh!" Kagome noticed a movement when the forest spirit put his hands in his sleeves and walked around her. "Next time listen to orders, runt." Shippou showed him his tongue, but the hanyou ignored him. Kagome thought about the chaos in the village. 'Maybe it was wise to keep Shippou here, where he's safe. I doubt it'd be good to take him to a fight...'

"But now I can come to visit, if you want to," Shippou added, looking at her hopefully.

"Oh, of course," Kagome couldn't stop smiling at the kid. "Just remember to be careful, some of the villagers are really afraid of all youkai and can run away or attack you."

The kitsune nodded, she was pretty sure he understood that his presence could make people be afraid. But she was also glad he wanted to at least try to approach the villagers, there was a small chance some of them, at least some of the children, wouldn't fear him. He needed more interactions with various people, some playmates. Kagome felt something brush against her leg and looked down.

Yellow eyes of a white dog were observing her as he nudged her leg again with his nose.

"Yuki?" the young miko smiled at the dog as he wagged his tail. When she looked around. finally paying attention where she actually was, she saw that the whole pack was there, walking to greet her and sniff her mantle. Inuyasha was observing her with a half smirk. Part of the floor in the far corner of the room was covered with furs, it looked just like a nest. Beside the door were standing bowls of water. As Shippou climbed to sit on her shoulder she reached her hand to give each dog a small ear scratch.

She could remember these dogs growling, their ears turned back, fangs bared... But as she couldn't harbor the fear of the forest spirit in her heart she couldn't fear his dogs. While she was greeting Shippou and the pack Inuyasha went to the far corner of the room, silently walking on the furs until he reached a basket filled with rugs. The female dog, Chikara, immediately went to his side. The hanyou glanced over his shoulder at his guest.

"Come here," he ordered and Kagome just nodded, walking over to where he was waiting for her. Then she saw it - inside the basket were four balls of white fur, small and moving  
on unsteady little legs, playfully tripping over each other and wrestling, making all sorts of cute little noises. A gasp of amazement left her as she sank to her knees beside the hanyou. Chikara made a small growl of warning when the miko approached them, Inuyasha growled to her,as if like in a response, his growl calming and demanding. The female lowered her ears and looked away in submission while the hanyou grabbed one of the balls of fur to put it in Kagome's hands. Kagome's eyes widened in wonder as she hugged the little creature to her chest when the puppy made the cutest noise ever. Shippou grinned.

"I was keeping them safe when the pack went to the village," he said proudly.

"So cute..." Kagome lifted the little dog to her face, cooing at the small noises it was producing and paws dangling in the air. Then she turned her head slightly to smile at the fox.

"I am really proud of you. Watching over puppies must be a hard work and a big responsibility," she praised Shippou and earned a big, bright smile.

"He had no choice, I locked him with them," Inuyasha snorted. Shippou jumped on his shoulder and tugged at his ear, obviously annoyed at the comment. The forest spirit growled and grabbed him by his fluffy tail. "Touch 'em again and you're dog meat, runt."

"Oh, don't argue," Kagome put the puppy among it's siblings and freed Shippou from Inuyasha's grip, totally failing to notice how his golden eyes widened and how fast his hands got stuck in his sleeves, a faint pink tint coloring his cheeks. All her attention was on Shippou, who was sitting on her joined hands and brushing his squeezed tail. "You took care of the little ones, Shippou, it doesn't matter if you were locked in a room or not. You could just ignore them... Even if I can't imagine how someone could ignore these fur balls of utter cuteness..." with a small, soft smile she put the fox on her lap and reached her hand to stroke the little ones. She let out a squeal of delight as one of them rolled on its back under her hand. Giggling she rubbed the presented belly and wiggled her fingers under the assault of wet noses and little jaws.

"So, you like the pups?" Inuyasha asked, drawing her attention to himself. Kagome gave him her brightest smile.

"Yes, they're so sweet! I love puppies," she confessed.

"Keh, I know, you always wanted one," the forest spirit shrugged. Shippou frowned as he saw Kagome's hand froze halfway from the basket to her lap. 'He knows? Ah, yes, I told him... When I was rubbing his ears one day...' Kagome's eyes drifted to the said triangles of white fuzziness. Inuyasha looked away and missed the blush appearing on her cheeks.

"Everyone likes puppies," Shippou stated from Kagome's lap. "They're cute and innocent, and gentle, and playful. Will you give Kagome a puppy?" he asked the hanyou, tilting his head.

Hope sparkled in her heart.

"No."

Hope died.

"Why no? I'd take a good care of it..." she tried, gazing at the forest spirit with pleading eyes. "You could always come and see if I'm doing well... I am a responsible person, I'd make sure it gets good food and I'd play with it..."

"No means no, wench," the hanyou scowled at her and the fox who had suggested it. "My dogs will not stay in a human village."

Kagome bit her bottom lip at that, the tone of his voice telling her there was no room for an argument. She felt rejected and lowered her eyes. Kagome remembered the look on his face when he had denied her taking care of wounded Yuki. 'Does he not trust me? I wouldn't hurt his pack...' Shippou glanced at her and then glared at Inuyasha, who sighed.

"I promised," he turned back to look at the male dogs resting in a wide circle around them, then at the female sitting just beside her pups, observing Kagome with wary eyes. At this confession Kagome stared up at him, hoping for him to explain further. The silence grew longer and longer until the forest spirit looked back at her and saw the expression on her face. 'I'm waiting here,' she thought. 'So come on, tell me. You know you can tell me stuff. I already told you a lot of my secrets.'

"Come on, tell us!" Shippou jumped to stand by his side and poked his ribs with a finger, unknowingly voicing her thoughts. Upon seeing Inuyasha's fist clenching and rising the kitsune quickly hid on Kagome's lap. The hanyou growled at him, but it seemed Shippou's hide was safe for now. To be extra sure he wouldn't get a hit to his head Kagome wrapped her arms around his little form.

"I promised the dogs," the inu hanyou finally said, after a long minute of glaring at the pair who was simply returning his glare with a look of hope and curiosity. "Chikara was almost ready to give birth to her pups when her owner decided to make an inugami out of her.

"An... Inugami?" Kagome's eyes widened in shock and she turned to look at the said female dog, sniffing her little babies. The though that they could be never born was saddening. Shippou moved a little closer to her.

"Yeah. From what I gathered he wanted her to haunt a woman who married an another man and was expecting a pup," Inuyasha shrugged. "The rest was almost starved to death and made to fight each other for food. You know, then their owner would cut off the head of the last standing dog and get an inugami to do his biding. I took them away from humans and don't want them to stay around them anymore. Your kin can be worse than mine, wench."

Kagome looked in his golden eyes, full of anger and disgust when he voiced his opinion. His lips were a tight line now, his face twisted in a scowl. 'He's right, some humans are really bad, such a dark act, for such petty reasons... No wonder he didn't want Yuki to stay in the village... Poor Yuki, he'd be probably so scared, being there by himself...' She felt tears in her eyes and quickly looked away, spotting Yuki resting on her other side. She ran a hand through his soft fur and the dog licked her fingers.

"Besides I am not sure the dogs wouldn't attack a human," Inuyasha added after a moment of thinking. "So it's better to keep them here and the pups are staying with their mother."

"What did you do to the humans?" asked Shippou while she was stroking Yuki's back and trying not to cry for the poor animals who had been treated so badly. "You punished them, right?"

"Feh, I buried them to their chests and left near the forest. There's a slight chance their yells attracted their relatives. Or wild animals. I didn't bother to checked them later and now it's kinda pointless," Inuyasha's voice was emotionless, but this confession made Kagome shiver. 'He had to be really angry at them,' she thought. 'I would be too... But I still hope that they were found by their families and learned their lesson...' Kagome looked back at the forest spirit who was holding a pup in his hands now, Chikara resting as close to him as possible. The hanyou looked up from the little creature he was holding. He seemed to be... Waiting? Expecting her to do or say something?

"Yes, Inuyasha?" she asked, her hand still resting on Yuki's side. The hanyou's ears twitched.

"She would scold me after hearing that," he muttered. "She'd give me a lecture about the value of human life and about being too violent. She always did that."

'Who's she...?' Kagome was confused for a long minute, then a suspicion came to her mind. She felt as if instead of taking a bite of something sweet she got something extremely bitter in her mouth and she couldn't swallow it.

"Did you mean Kikyou?" he nodded and she looked away, "Do you want me to act like her?" she asked, feeling a pang of pain in her heart. 'Does he want me to be like her? Why? He knows I hate being compared to her! I don't want him, of all people, do that!... I...'

"Hell, no!" his reply came quickly and cut through her thoughts, causing her to look into his eyes again. "It's just... I thought... All of you humans are so crazy about that. Talking all the time how valuable your life is compared to others'. Killing a human is a sin. Killing one of them," he lifted the pup in his hands, the little one trying to grasp his finger in its tiny jaws, "...not really."

Kagome bit her bottom lip and reached her hands to take the puppy from him. He was still scowling, waiting for her to speak. Shippou was quietly looking from one to another, probably not sure what to say. She wasn't sure herself, at the same time she felt relief because of Inuyasha telling her he didn't want her to act like Kikyou and was nervous, trying to find the best way to respond to his words. It made a lot of sense for him to be concerned about animals, him being partially an animal youkai. His extreme punishment for the misdeeds of the former owners of his dogs wasn't surprising, she knew he was one to act harshly. During their time together she had learned he was capable of violence and tenderness, following his own rules. He was protective of all he deemed to be his.

"You see, a lot of humans think that their lives are the most valuable and can be cruel not only to animals, but other humans too," the young miko said slowly, trying to find the right words. The intense gaze of Inuyasha's eyes was making her feel nervous - she knew he was listening very carefully to her every word. This feeling was something new to her, usually people weren't paying much attention to her opinions. "But there are many who respect the nature and know that it's very important, that you can't treat animals badly... I'm happy that you and Shippou helped these dogs and I'm sure they're much happier with you," she stroked Shippou's red hair. "But I hope that their former owners aren't dead, that they learned their lesson and will be more kind towards their other animals."

"Feh," the forest spirit replied and Kagome smiled before she put the puppy in the basket.

"I am grateful you let me see them," she added, petting the cute white balls of fur. "Since I am a human..."

"Keh, you are not like those bastards. And the runt wanted to show them to you," Inuyasha shrugged, but Kagome noticed his scowl almost disappeared. Shippou nodded and smiled, Kagome favored the kitsune with a smile of her own and hugged him.

"I was sure you'd love them!" the young fox said. Kagome thought that he had to be relieved that the subject of their conversation drifted away from killing animals, after all he was an animal youkai as well. 'I wonder if his parents were killed by humans...' she thought, looking at the kid as he left her embrace and went to the puppies to sit between them.

"I love them, they're so cute," Kagome chuckled when one of them caught Shippou's tail. She looked at Inuyasha to find his expression calmer than before, his emotions unreadable. "Do they have names?"

"Not yet," the hanyou shook his head. Kagome clasped her hands.

"Can we name them?" she asked, trying to make the most pleading, hopeful puppy eyes she could. "I mean Shippou and me. You already named the older ones."

"Why do you want to name my dogs, wench?" he asked, frowning at her request. 'Oh, give in, look at my puppy eyes and give in, Inuyasha.' she chanted in her mind.

"It'd be nice to do that," she explained and turned to the fox kid. "Right?"

"Yeah!" Shippou said as he wrestled his tail from the pup's grasp. "This one can be Strong Boy," he stated. As Kagome smiled and was about to nod Inuyasha snorted.

"No."

"Why no?" the pair looked at him, Kagome with shock, Shippou annoyed.

"First it's a crappy name. Second - that's a girl. Can't you smell the difference, idiot?" Shippou growled at his words, but the forest spirit ignored his anger. Inuyasha looked at Kagome and reached for the pup to pick it and drop on her lap. "You can't take one to live with you, but you can name her. As for you..." he caught the kitsune as he jumped at him, his little claws extended. "You lost your chance."

As they were arguing about that matter Kagome looked at Chikara and then stroked the back of the pup on her lap.

"You'll be Love," she said softly and then stole a glance at the youkai and hanyou arguing like silly boys they were before she touched heads of the remaining three pups. "And you are Friendship, Wisdom and Courage," she chuckled at the last name because the dog tried to grasp her fingers in his small jaws.

"O-oi!" she heard Inuyasha's voice right above her shoulder. "What did you just do, wench?"

She looked up to see him scowling at her, so she gave him her brightest, most innocent smile.

"I named the puppies, just like you wanted, mighty forest spirit."

A/N 2:  
Meanings of the older dog's names, in case someone's interested: Chikara - Power. Yuki - Snow, Yami - Shadow, Kiba - Fang.


	14. The Hunt

The Hunt

Summary: A girl runs through the forest, knowing she can't outrun her destiny.

A/N: I'm thankful for your opinions, guesses, musings and other expressions of interest and enjoyment. You don't even know how much it means to me to create stories people like.

o0o0o0o0o0o

White snow was covering the Forest of Inuyasha like a fluffy, thick carpet. It was piled on tree limbs, pulling them down. It was glistering in sunlight, the forest basking in radiance of the day and silence of a place where humans were wandering rarely. It was a serene scenery which could make any viewer sigh in awe and want to paint it.

A young woman - a miko - was running through the woods, a thick mantle wrapped around her as she was slicing through small meadows and diving between old, twisted barks. Her breath was heavy, changing into mist in the crisp air. She was hugging a bag to her chest while running, not daring to look back.

"You should have backed away slowly, not run!" a voice of an old flea youkai scolded her from the spot on her shoulder where he was sitting. "You know dogs..."

"I know dogs like to chease things!" she panted. "But I saw him sniffing the air! He knew I was around, it was a matter of time for him to locate me!"

A vision of a man clad in red standing on a hilltop, his nose lifted in the air, appeared in her mind. Kagome stumbled over a pile of snow hiding a tree root and ran forward. There was no time for flashbacks.

She heard a sound of a bramch snapping somewhere behind her and a dark chuckle. Myoga changed his position to check where their pursuer was and gulped.

"I think I shall take my leave now," he said. "I forgot to check something..."

"Wh-what?!" she cried out, but he was already gone. A low bark could be heard from behind, a little to her right. Instinctively the young miko turned left and found a faint path where she could speed up her pace. Her long robes were already slowing her down and she had to do everything she could to escape. She had to... 'A cleaning!' Kagome made her way through some bushes and found herself on the edge of a mild-sized meadow, stretching from North to South. She didn't waste time to ponder the layout of the glade - she had to run.

She was running for a long time now, escaping from the pursuing youkai. She could sense waves of vivid red youki behind her, sometimes hear the being following her chuckling darkly or growling. 'He's laughing,' she thought while crossing the wide space covered in pristine white and cold fluffiness of the snow. 'He's chasing me and laughing, having fun.. I won't let him catch me! I must not let him win! I must...'

A sudden bark to her left - too close to her to be ignored - made a shiver run down her spine. Kagome couldn't help herself, she turned her head to look in that direction. But... There was nothing, only deep marks in the snow, just like footprints... Her eyes widened in surprise and in the same moment she ran into something warm and firm. She stumbled backwards, looking wide-eyed at...

"Oh, goodness!..." she breathed out. The man was tall and lean, clad in red robes. His long silver mane was bound in a high ponytail, waving behind his back as he took a step forward, in her direction. A fanged grin and a twinkle in his beautiful eyes made Kagome take an another hasty step backwards. 'He thinks he won,' she thought observing his clawed hand lift and reach in her direction, the deadly talons glistering in the sunlight - one swipe of this hand was enough to kill. A tongue darted out of his mouth to lick his fangs. 'Oh, no, you don't!'

The young miko turned to her side and ran as if her life depended on it. A growl reached her ears and she swallowed hard. The sound was indicating he didn't mind taking his time in chasing her, in making her run until she couldn't take an another step.

"Inu-Inuyasha!" she cried out between her heavy pants. "Stop it!"

The hanyou chuckled - the sound was low and throaty and Kagome felt her heartbeat quicken. Being chased by the forest spirit through his territory wasn't what she had had in her mind this morning when she had left the safety of her village. She hugged her bag closer to her chest and willed herself to run faster. The trees were quickly coming closer, she could hide behind their barks, it'd be harder to catch her there, right? She was maybe twenty meters from the treeline... Fifteen...

But just as she felt that she could make it to the forest the man pounced.

A loud cry of surprise mixed with fear left her as she fell to the ground and they both rolled a few times until they stopped, covered in snow. The forest spirit growled deep in his throat and pressed his prey to the ground, his weight was enough to make her unable to flee his clutches. Kagome looked up just to see his inhuman eyes shine with pride of a predator who hunted down his prey. 'Dogs like to chase...' Then he dipped his head and suddenly she felt his hot breath against the skin of her neck. She gasped when she felt fangs scrape against her flesh there - all of it was making her heart race even faster. Silver hair fell on her face when he pressed his nose against her pulse.

"I smelled you wander in my forest," his voice was barely a whisper. "Now it's time to surrender. The hunt is over."

Kagome didn't want to surrender, not without a fight. Her hands shot in direction of his most vulnerable spots. Only by grasping them she could gain control over the hanyou pinning her to the cold ground with his hot, lean body. A dark chuckle sounded just beside her ear as he grasped her wrists - her hands were mere inches from his own fuzzy ears. With his head still lowered he pulled her hands away from his head and grabbed her wrists in one hand, pinning them just above her head. His ears twitcged, mocking her, showing her what she couldn't touch.

"I won," he annouced, his tone daring her to disagree, to fight him. Kagome struggled to free herself, but it was in vain, he was much stronger than her. His free hand travelled in direction of her bag, discarded just beside them.

"N-no! Inuyasha, don't!..." her voice pleading and threatening at the same time. The forest spirit lifted his head and looked down at her, smirking. Then he turned his gaze to the bag where his fingers were working on the strings keeping it shut.

A low rumble of anticipation resonated in his chest when he leaned forward in direction of the bag. She saw him lick his fangs once more when his hand slid inside the bag and emerged a second later, holding a bun.

A triumphant noise left his mouth before the forest spirit stuffed it full with food.

Kagome wasted a minute watching the supernatural being from old stories, a fierce forest spirit, a powerful inu hanyou devour her buns. There was mirth on his face, sparks of boyish excitement in yellow eyes and there was no trace of his usual scowl. The hunt made him bolder than usual, but at the same time he seemed less annoyed with everything, the prize put him in a really good mood. It was sweet that the supernatural being like him could find joy in such a mundane, plain thing as a sweet bun. She couldn't help herself - a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. It didn't go unnoticed, the forest spirit turned his head to look down at her, licking bits of the bun off his lips.

"What's so funny, wench?" he asked, demandingly. Kagome shook her head. "Told you the forest isn't for young girls to wander through alone. You can attract youkai," he scolded.

"Especially if I bring food with me," she replied stubbornly. Since him waking up from his seal no one of the villagers had a chance to see any dangerous youkai - it was odd because during winter their attacks were quite frequent. Inuyasha didn't want to tell her anything, but Kagome was sure he resumed to protect the village like in old days. A part of her hoped he was doing it not only because of the offerings given by the villagers, but also because she was living there. They were meeting in the forest - the hanyou and the young miko, spending almost all her free time together, sometimes accompanied by Shippou, Myoga or Inuyasha's dogs.

She had only to go to the Sacred Tree and wait for a few minutes for him to come to her. Often he was letting her talk to him like during the summer days, rarely interrupting her. She could describe the life in the village, complain about things, tell him about her studies ad training. Sometimes it was Kagome silently waiting for him to talk. He was rarely talking about his past or feelings, most of his stories were about Shippou or Myoga being 'stupid'. She liked those stories, even if often the one 'stupid' in her opinion was Inuyasha himself, acting childish, stubborn, being embaressed or angry.

Majority of their meetings had been under the Sacred Tree, but Kagome had visited the den twice more to see the pups and 'make sure the hot spring was still there'. Shippou had visited her in her hut once, transforming and hiding every time someone else could see him. As much as she wanted her youkai friends to come to her home she didn't push them to do so. She herself loved to go to the forest, this place was her sanctuary while in the village she was always feeling like someone was observing her. Today was the first day in a while when she could go to the woods at morning and stay for hours.

"Yeah," he nodded and took off her bag an another bun just to dig his fangs into it mercilessly. "Esfefially."

"Hey! Don't eat them all! I made them for Shippou and Myoga too!" she wiggled, trying to break free and save the bag. The hanyou on top of her growled and then chuckled. "Free me!"

"Can't do it, too busy eatin'," was his reply and as she continued to struggle he gave a bark of mild irritation. "Stop movin', wench."

The third bun disappeared in his greedy maw. Kagome closed her eyes to focus and not see crumbs falling on her mantle. She reached deep within herself, trying to find inner peace - with an hanyou she was kinda attracted to splayed on top of her it wasn't an easy feat - and grasp her spiritual powers. She pictured a river flowing in her mind, the water being the flow of her energy. Kagome wanted just to bring it a little closer to the surface, let the hanyou sense it - she hoped it'd make him jump off her.

She accomplished only being pushed harder against the snow and getting his face pressed against the side of her neck. She knew it was not an intimate gesture on his part, he was just following his instincts and wanting her to submit, but it was still hard for her to concentrate while he was doing it.

"I won," he reminded her. "Don't try tricks on me, miko." It was probably the first time he called her that.

"You have to share or I'm not bringing any food to you, greedy forest spirit!" she scolded him, releasing her breath. Inuyasha snorted, but - surprisingly - the threat of not getting food from her in future made him crawl off her and release her wrists. As he crouched beside her Kagome sat up and quickly seized the half empty bag. Then she stood up and looked around. "Um... Which way's your den?"

"Lost your way again?" he smirked.

"A youkai was chasing me, I was more focused on getting away," she snapped. Inuyasha shrugged and turned around, still squatting on the ground.

"You need to learn how to pay attention where you're running, Kagome," he said and looked back at her above his shoulder. "Come on, I'll carry you, it's quite far from here. Far for a human, I mean."

Kagome resisted a temptation to kick him and instead of it climbed on his back, her bag hanging from her shoulder, her heavy mantle covering them both. The forest spirit didn't need more layers of clothes than his red robe, but she did and she wanted to feel the warmth of his back against herself.

"Inuyasha..." she said while he stood up, adjusting her weight on his back and grabbing her legs while she looped her arms around his neck. "You ate your share already, you won't get more buns today, even if you carry me."

"Keh, I'll just steal Shippou's," he replied and leapt forward.

o0o

The Sun was merely a few inches above the horizon when Kagome was walking through the forest again - this time returning home. She was walking in a steady, fast pace, still annoyed at the forest spirit. 'I will not bring him food for a month,' she promised herself. 'Not after him acting like that!' She shook her head to free herself from musings about the quarrel which caused her lonely return home. Usually after visiting the den she could count on the forest spirit walking her back to the border of his domain.

Kagome was surprised when suddenly almost all light faded in the forest around her. She looked up through the canopy of branches just in time to see heavy dark clouds and something fast and bright descending from them. She took a quick step back as the glowing orb reached the snow-covered cleaning she was about to enter. And when the light faded the young miko couldn't keep herself from gasping.

A humongous white dog was standing there, filling almost the whole glade with its great paws and slender body. Its long tail moved slowly from side to side as it lowered it to the ground but it was as far from a wag as it was possible. A heavy head adorned with two piercing golden-red eyes and a black crescent moon on its forehead turned in Kagome's direction. The miko took an another step backwards as the gaze of the dog, taller than trees around it, rested upon her fragile form. They were frightening and beautiful, the beast was practically radiating power. Kagome realized that this being before her was an inu youkai of pure blood. The dog inhaled deeply.

"Tell me, dinner," the beast spoke. "Why are you carrying Inuyasha's scent?"

A/N: Since I was asked by one of my amazing readers about the Japanese names of the pups. Here you have them all! Just bear in mind Japanese isn't a language I know, so if I made a mistake blame google traslator, ok?  
Love - Ai (font face="Nimbus Mono L, monospace"span lang="zh-CN"愛/span/font). Fiendship - Yūjō (font face="Nimbus Mono L, monospace"span lang="zh-CN"友情/span/font). Courage - Yūki (font face="Nimbus Mono L, monospace"span lang="zh-CN"勇気/span/font). Wisdom - Chie (font face="Nimbus Mono L, monospace"span lang="zh-CN"知恵/span/font)  
If one of my readers knows Japanese and confirms that these names are correct I might use the Japanese versions instead of English later, so the whole pack has Japanese names. I'm not one to squeeze Japanese in my fics, but I guess it makes sense when you adjust names to people/country/time period. 


	15. Lunar Akita

Lunar Akita

Summary: The head of the clan comes to talk to a lowly half-breed just to find his scent on a human.

A/N: Hi, amazing readers and reviewers! I don't know why so many of you're following this story and posting comments under every chapter, but I am not complaining. Finding out there are people enjoying this story's an amazing experience - I've never thought it'd get so much attention, love, asks and guesses.  
I'm sorry it was so long since the last chapter. I was unable to write for some time and it was so hot... Aargh, I hate it that all I could do for almost all this time was squeezing off my brain a few Barks chapters. The harvest starts here, so idk when I'll be writing/posting stuff, but I'll try to do my best and not disappear for a month.

o0o

"Tell me, dinner," the beast spoke. "Why are you carrying Inuyasha's scent?"

Kagome's slow retreat stopped at these words. She was pretty sure she'd not have a chance to run from the youkai and this one - in contrast to Inuyasha - would hunt her down not for buns. She swallowed and straightened her spine. 'Is there any chance I could put a barrier strong enough?' The answer was easy - no. Kagome doubted her barrier could hold against Shippou's youki.

"So?' the dog's head lowered even more, it's big black nose was on the same level with Kagome's face, barely two or three meters from her. The clouds above their heads started to part, letting the evening light reach the forest and bask everything in red and orange light. White fur of the dog seemed to shine and its - 'hers,' Kagome realized it was a female - voice was full of curiousity, not bloodlust. "Will you answer me?"

"I..." Kagome licked her lips nervously. "I smell like Inuyasha?"

The dog snorted, obviously annoyed by her lack of reply and amused at her question at the same time. Kagome swallowed again. 'What can I say? How she would react? Why is she here? From where she knows Inuyasha's name? Who is she? If she can smell him on me why did she not find him and came to me instead?' A realization came to her immediately. 'The den's barrier! She can't smell Inuyasha because he's there! And she can easily sense his scent on my mantle from all the physical contact we had today!'

"Great inu youkai..." she started slowly, earning an amused sound from the huge beast as it sat on her haunches, a pink tongue darted out of her maw to lick her nose. It was a good sign that the dog didn't attack her yet, she seemed to be in no hurry to feast on her poor body. The mononoke was so regal sitting and looking down at her, blood red eyes full of intelligence. 'What should I say...?' "Are you looking for the forest spirit?"

"I am," the dog replied shortly and bared her fangs a little. "And you are avoiding answering my question. Maybe you forgot it alredy? Humans can be so forgetful when they're scared. Why are you carrying Inuyasha's scent?"

There was just a hint of a threat in her voice - she would not repeat her question again. Kagome swallowed and felt sweat on her forehead. What could she, a weak miko, do against an inu youkai? She was no match for her! She wasn't sure her mother would be.

"I meet him today," she uttered the truth. It was pretty possible the inu could smell lies. 'Need to ask what Inuyasha can smell,' she thought. 'If I survive, that is. Oh, gods, I want to go home...'

"So he is awake. It seems the rumors were true," the dog murmued, as if talking to herself. Then she focused her eyes on Kagome again. "Where is he now?"

The answer to this question was easy - he was in his den. But Kagome couldn't tell this youkai the location of the den! Even if she couldn't enter it it was still bad for her to know where the lair of the forest spirit was. Kagome took a step back and felt a rough surface behind her back. She was pressed against a tree bark, with the inu youkai's nuzzle mere meters from her.

"Tell me human, I am sure you know where I can find him." She could feel the hot breath of the mononoke against her face, the huge eyes pinning her in place with their inquiring, demanding gaze. Kagome shook her head, trying to find a way out of this situation - the youkai was not a lesser one, she was obviously intelligent and maybe Kagome could talk her out of eating her as a punishment for not telling her where the forest spirit was... She noticced a twinkle in the dog's eyes and shivered - was it the sign of the beast losing her patience and deciding to kill her? One ear swiveled to the right, as if catching a sound Kagome couldn't hear.

The next second Kagome saw red and suddenly was shielded from the hot breath of the dog by a tall figure she knew so well. A low growl could be heard when the hanyou landed on his feet just in front of the miko.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome gasped and leaned against the tree behind her, feeling her legs shake not only because of feaar, but also in relief - the forest spirit came yet again to save her. A part of her mind knew a hanyou was no match for an inu youkai, but for her the guardian of the forest was invincible, she had faith in him. She took in the position he was in - it was not a battle stance, but it was too tense to be considered a relaxed one. He was alert, focused on the mononoke, but not attacking her just yet. Kagome's eyes widened a little when she saw that he had Tessaiga at his hip. It was the first time since the full moon she saw him carry the sword.

"Are you okay there, wench?" he asked, not turning towards her. Only one ear swiveled back to listen to her breath and quiet hum of confirmation. Kagome wanted to reach for him, touch him, wrap her arms around his waist and inhale deeply the scent of wildness lingering on his robe. Maybe it was unwise to trust a youkai, but Kagome didn't care. He meant her no harm and would protect her, she was sure of it.

"Hello, pup," the youkai spoke after examining the vision before her, her eyes focusing on the body language of the hanyou and the human in front of her.

"Hi, crazy bitch," he growled back. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard rumors that you're free," the dog looked amused now, as if she found a new toy to play with. Kagome's insides tensed. What the beast had planned for the forest spirit? "I merely came to visit you and you greeted me so rudely..." she complained. If a dog could pout she'd definetely do it right now.

"Keh, you saw I'm free, now you can get lost," the forest spirit demanded and earned a snort from the dog.

"I forgot how blunt you can be, pup," she chuckled. "You didn't even introduce me to your friend... Or is she your mate?" the dog tilted her head, as if curious and confused. Kagome gasped at this assumption. Inuyasha's body tensed.

"She's just a human from a village in my forest," he replied, his voice low and stern. Kagome's heart skipped a beat. 'Am I just an another human to him? I thought we're friends...' she thought, wounded by his words. He had let her see his playful side, had teased her and had been laughed at after doing something embaressing or stupid. He had let her come to his den. Kagome couldn't believe he'd do such a thing with any person. It seemed the dog was as doubtful of Inuyasha's statement as Kagome was.

"So why did you scent mark her, pup?" the dog asked and moved a little closer, sniffing the air. "I can definetely smell you on her."

"You came to see me, not her!" he barked. Kagome frowned - the dog again mentioned the smell as if it was something important. 'Well, if she is like Inuyasha she rrlies on her nose more than on any other sense, so I guess it makes sense...'

"True," the dog gave a small nod. "Can you introduce your friend to me? I don't feel comfortable around people I don't know. I often ask my dinners their names before tearing them to pieces. Especially when they don't lose their ability to speak when they see me and we can have a small conversation before the meal."

At that Kagome bit her bottom lip. This mononoke was at the same time frightening and playful, as if it felt amused by everything around her, sure she ha an upper hand and not showing any sign of fear of the forest spirit. She was nothing like a lesser youkai, bloodthirsty beasts focused only on following their instincts and killing. Inuyasha was acting differently too. Usually he would attack a lesser youkai and kill it before it could harm someone or wreck havoc in his territory. Yet now he was standing put right before her, growling in agitation and displeasure, but not leaving his post. He was like a guard dog unwilling to leave its master's side in a dangerous situation. It was so much not like him Kagome felt nervous and confused even more. Why was he not attacking? Was the youkai that powerful or was she not a real danger to them? Yet he was still defensive - was it possible he couldn't predict what the intruder would do?

"Kagome, that's the first mate of my father," he said quietly and slid Tessaiga off his belt to throw it at the girl. Kagome caught the sword and instinctively pressed the old katana hid in its sheath close to her chest. 'First mate? Does it mean she's like a stepmother to him?' "Hold onto this and leave."

"Inuyasha, I..." Kagome swallowed hard again, her fear returning at the command. Why was he sending her away with Tessaiga? She wanted to stay with him, help him face this youkai - even if she knew her powers were limited she was sure she could do something to aid him. She looked in his eyes with stubborness and stood straight, holding his sword to herself, but not moving an inch. The hanyou growled at her lack of obedience, but a pulse of youki and a quiet noise had him spinning around to face the inu woman.

A silent chuckle came to her ears from the meadow, melodious, ellegant, but full of playfulness. Kagome looked at the dog... But there was no longer a dog in the clearing - there was a slender, beautiful woman with silver hair bound in two high ponytails adorned with seashells and golden eyes twinking with mischief. She was covering her mouth with the sleeve of her rich purple robe, fluffy pelt hugging her shoulders. A crescent moon was on her forehead and stripes were on her cheeks, giving her an exotic look. She appeared young, but there was something ancient in her eyes.

"You know, you remind me of Touga when you have your hair tied up like this, pup," she said while lowering her hand. "He did a similar thing when I came to him to see his second mate, your mother. Do you know what she told him when he tried to send her away?"

"Don't care. Say what you have to say and leave my forest," Inuyasha let out a low growl, this time directed at the inu. The corners of the woman's lips twitched upwards and she looked above his shoulder to observe Kagome. The young miko bit her bottom lip wondering what the youkai was thinking. Golden eyes turned to gaze at the forest spirit who was scowling at the intruder.

"Don't be so agitated, hanyou. I have no intention to eat your human or fight you," she said and hid it in her sleeve as she approached them slowly. She stopped a few meters from the pair when Inuyasha's ears laid back. The woman shook her head. "You're so stubborn, hanyou. I see sleeping for five decades did nothing to temper your attitude. One could think waiting to be released would be a good lesson in patience."

Inuyasha barked at her and the woman growled as if in response, the sound oddly soothing coming from a woman looking like a princess. The growl did nothing to calm the forest spirit down as he let loose his own growl, full of annoyance. The woman chuckled and shook her head. 'Are they... Talking...?'

"I have no intentions to claim your forest or anything within it," the inu youkai suddenly spoke again. her voice serious this time, her eyes finding Kagome standing behind the hanyou and her gaze resting on the sword the miko was still holding to herself. "But someone else might come and try to do just that."

"Then I'll tear them to bloody bits," Inuyasha shrugged. "You came to warn me about some lousy youkai crawing my forest?"

"Hardly," the inu was still looking at the sword after sparing one glance at the hanyou. " "Judging by your youki, you are still as weak as you were a century ago. You can fend some lesser youkai off, half breed, but you'll soon learn the world you woke up is not the one you had fell under a seal. Many things changed while you remained the same. Can you at least wield the mighty Tessaiga?"

Kagome's gaze dropped to the sword in her embrace. It looked like anything but a mighty weapon. 'Useless,' she remembered what Inuyasha had told her about his katana. 'And she said the forest spirit's weak. That isn't true! He's strong and good.' The woman's words were enigmatic, especially the part about the changed world. As far as Kagome knew there was nothing different between now and back then. There were wars and times of peace, youkai raids and people travelling to get to more peaceful, wealthy areas... But she realized the woman probably was not referring to the human world. 'What could change in the youkai lands?'

"You are mistaken, lady inu, the forest spirit is not weak," she gave the youkai her most stern look. She wouldn't let her talk like this to him.

"Half blood, half power," the silver-haired woman waved her hand.

"I don't need the rusty stick to protect what's mine," Inuyasha barked, his aura pulsing with anger so strong Kagome felt as if the sword in her hands grew warmer from its heat. "And I ain't letting anyone take it from me. I don't care what happens outside of my forest," the woman blinked at this statement, seemingly too surprised by its boldness to answer immediately. Then she shook her head, her tails waving behind her back.

"You're of no use for the Lunar Akita clan, hanyout," she sighed. "At least not like this."

"I don't give a shit about your clan," Inuyasha's ears flattened against his scalp in frustration. Kagome realized it was just a matter of seconds for him to lose his patience and attack. And she knew he was facing a powerful being disguising itself as a smiling woman. She had faith in him, but didn't want to see him hurt. "I don't care what you're up to and won't help ya, so get lost before I throw you out of my territory myself."

"It's quite amusing to see a hanyou acting as if he could insult and order a daiyoukai around without consequences," the mononoke stated as she eyed the pair, noticing when the girl laid her hand on the male's shoulder in a soothing motion. A small smile appeared on her lips yet again and Kagome rubbed her hand against the tense muscles of her friend. "If you can't use the sword you should give it to someone who can. My son will gladly wield the fang of Touga, you know how much he craves the blade."

"One more reason not to give it to the bastard," Inuyasha spat.

"I can assure you he's a legitimate son," the woman chuckled, choosing to turn the insult in a joke. "Still, I think that if you are so set on protecting your domain... And your little pretty friend... You should really try to master the blade Touga left for you. We wouldn't want your friend to get hurt by a vile youkai, right?"

And just like that the warm, solid body of the forest spirit was gone from under her hand. Kagome almost winced at the feel of cold air against her palm. The hanyou swiped at the woman in purple robe, but she avoided him with grace and seemingly effortlessly. 'She's fast," Kagome sighed as she spotted the youkai a few meters away to her right. A golden eye winked at the miko when their eyes met and it made Kagome frown, once again trying to guess what she was thinking.

"If you pledge your loyalty to my clan I may tell you the secret of Tessaiga's power," she said to the forest spirit before he attacked her again. If she hoped it would give him a pause she was wrong - the male just made a noise of annoyance before aiming his claws at her again and she had to dance away from his grasp closer to the middle of the meadow. Kagome took a step forward, hugging Tessaiga to herself and watching the forest spirit and the inu youkai moving around.

"You ain't puttin' a leash on me, crazy bitch," Inuyasha barked when the woman dodged him again. "Don't need ya."

"A lone one won't survive. We lost too many already," the inu shook her head. "I really could use Tessaiga's aid, pup."

"Not gonna happen!"

"Quick, lady Kagome," the miko peeled her eyes from the pair to glance at her shoulder and see Myoga there. "We must return to the den."

"Myoga? But..." Kagome looked back in direction of her growling friend and the woman chuckling and still remaining beyond his reach, playing with him and looking quite amused. Yet she never tried to hit him back, keeping her distance, letting him follow her around the glade.

"We must go now!" Myoga demanded, fear in his voice. "The Lady will not-"

"The mighty Tessaiga in hands of a mere human," Kagome spun around to face the source of a cold, emotionless voice. Her eyes widenend when she saw a tall man in white, his silver hair cascading down his back, his golden eyes holding no emotion. "Such a disgrace."

A/N 2: So sorry guys! I know many of you were quite sure Kagome met Sesshy and were waiting for some brotherly trying-to-kill-each-other-ing, but I had to include Sesshomaru's Mom in this chapter.  
But look, Sesshy finally made it to the party and it looks like a brawl will come sooner than Kagome'd like! And poor Myoga, he's kinda in the middle of it!  
What does Sesshy's mom wants of Inuyasha? What does Sesshy do in his forest? What will happen to Tessaiga? And most importantly - will Kagome bring sweet buns the next time she visits Inuyasha?


	16. I'll Protect You

I'll Protect You

Summary: The moon rises above Inuyasha's Forest to bear witness to a bloody battle.

o0o

"The mighty Tessaiga in hands of a mere human," Kagome spun around to face the source of a cold, emotionless voice. Her eyes widenend when she saw a tall man in white, his silver hair cascading down his back, his golden eyes holding no emotion. "Such a disgrace."

"Asshole!" Inuyasha's voice cut the air at the same time when the female uttered "Sesshomaru!". She spoke it without hate ringing in Inuyasha's voice, but wth the same amount of surprise. The man's eyes didn't leave the sword in Kagome's hands. Myoga on her shoulder gulped and looked around as if trying to find a way to escape. When Kagome looked in the white-haired man's face she felt as if facing an ice sliding down a moutainside. His face was a mask of stoic indifference and even his eyes had only a twinkle of disgust and anger which was clear in his voice.

"Human. Hand over the sword," the tall man demanded, his tone showing that he was not used to disobedience. Kagome licked her lips and stole a glance to the pair on the other side of the meadow. The female seemed calm, but a small frown was on her face. Inuyasha, on the other hand, was scowling fiercely and trying to drill a hole in the face of the other male with his sight only. He started to move in their direction after looking back at the woman as if to check if she was going to attack him from behind. His steps were cautious and resembling those of a predator preparing to attack an another beast. 'This is his heirloom,' she thought and turned to look at the intimidating, motionless youkai. While she could sense the female's youki to be very strong and know it was but a fraction of her true power she couldn't sense the newcomer's power at all. It was as if he had a cloak put over his youki so tightly she couln't see anything. It made her wonder how stong he really was. 'Strong enought,' she realized when she took in the image of this stoic man. He was elegant and dignified, but all about his person was radiating lethal danger. Yet... She couldn't just hand him over the katana, it wouldn't be right.

"It isn't yours," she took a step back, shrinking under the cold glare of the youkai. The old katana seemed to hold some value for both the youkai and Inuyasha seemed to be relucant to part with it. She didn't care about the reasons the youkai had to come to Inuyasha's Forest. A part of her was scared more than ever for refusing the white-clad mononoke, yet she felt that it was right.

"Foolish woman, you can't stop this Sesshomaru from claiming it," Kagome's eyes widened at his words. Then he moved, fast like a lightning, unstoppable as he crossed the short distance between himself and the young healer. She barely had time to blink once.

"Sesshomaru, don't!" the female youkai's voice was loud, but there was more concern than order in it. Yet the white-clad male didn't even slow down - he grasped the hilt of the sword and attempted to free it from its sheath. As his fingers curled around the hilt Kagome felt as if a gust of warm air blew through her. Bright blue sparks fell off the handle of the sword and when the youkai released it after a second the palm of his hand was burned. The girl took a few steps back, gasping in shock both at the wave of comforting warmth which went through her, the sight of the burned skin of the youkai and his speed. "There's a barrier on the sword." the woman said, much less hurriedly. Sesshomaru shot her a glare. "You can't draw it when it's active and in hands of a human."

"Then this Sesshomaru will kill the girl and take it afterwards," he said and lifted his hand again, claws starting to glow green when he laid his gaze on Kagome's face. The miko bit her lips and took a deep inhale through her nose, preparing to do her best to put her strongest barrier - it was the only thing she could think about to stop him. A shiver ran down her spine when she realized once again that even her strongest barrier wouldn't probably hold him for long. There was also no way she could run or dodge those glowing claws... 'Is it poison...?' she realized that there was something dripping off his fingers as he fixed them. 'Oh, gods...' Was he intending to poison her and watch her die instead of simply tearing her body to pieces? "Die."

She grasped her flickering powers as soon as she felt his youki come to life around him and the barrier appeared just before her, blue and almost transparent. The female youkai gasped from her spot some distance from them. To Kagome's surprise the barrier didn't fall upon coming to contact with youki of the white-clad man, as a part of her suspected. But even when she was sure it wouldn't stand a direct hit she decided to build it, the youkai didn't know the extent of her power and could assume it was as strong as any holy barrier. To her terror the mononoke before her just narrowed his eyes, flexed his burned palm before springing forward with an inhuman speed. 'Oh, gods,' was all she could think before...

"Not when I'm alive to protece her," Inuyasha's claws dug in Sesshomaru's wrist as he gripped his hand, blood bloomed on the white silk of his sleeve. Golden, cold eyes looked at the hanyou who had suddenly materialized between him and the shimmering barrier of the human holding the thing he craved the most in the entire world. Kagome bit her bottom lip to contain her cry of relief upon seeing that the attack was stopped, that the forest spirit was unwilling to let any harm come to her. The sword in her hands seemed to pulse, but she didn't focus on it, too concentrated on the two golden-eyed men in front of her.

"This Sesshomaru can fix this, half-breed. This Sesshomaru should have long time ago," Kagome cried out when the taller man's left hand suddenly shot forward and hit the forest spirit's chest. Kagome felt her blood run cold when she heard a cry of pain and anger leaving Inuyasha's mouth; he clawed at his opponent's hand and his body arched, but he refused to move back or away. When Kagome lost her concentration her barrier flickered and disappeared, the young miko didn't care about it. It wasn't about keeping the youkai away from the sword, she had to help her friend hissing in pain. She reached a hand and threw it above Inuyasha's shoulder. It was not a rational decision, if she had had time to think she'd never grasp the wrist of the youkai just beside Inuyasha's hand.

To her shock the youkai jumped back with a short hiss and glared at her while Inuyasha rocked on his feet a little and straightened his back slowly.

"Miko!" he spat, flexing his hand, the spot where her fingers had touched sporting angry red burn marks. Inuyasha let out a choked sound and Kagome realized it was a chuckle.

"Come near her and she's gonna purify your ass," he threatened, his voice amused and with a hint... 'Is it pride?' Kagome wondered and almost missed the last sentence which was more growled than spoken. "That is if you get past me."

Cold, calculating eyes looked up and down them both. Kagome felt a sudden urge to hide behind the forest spirit. 'He's judging us, trying to figure out how strong we really are,' Kagome realized. To her anger and worry the inu youkai had spent more time observing her than the guardian of the woods. She didn't know if it was beause he knew his limits or just wanted to insult him... She shivered under the gaze of the mononoke who wanted to kill her just because she dared to say no to his face.

"You're an idiot, half-breed. This Sesshomaru will find a great joy in putting you out of your misery and in your place... On your knees," he said after a minute, his voice soft, but firm. Before he had a chance to say anything more Inuyasha jumped forward, his claws ready to strike. Sesshomaru just stepped to his side and then leapt back when Inuyasha turned to follow him, slashing at him with his hands.

Kagome's fingers gripped the sheath of the old katana tightly as her eyes were following the fighting youkai. They were so different - when Inuyasha was hot-headed and unpredictable, attacking with all he had and growling in anger Sesshomaru was graceful, silent and deadly efficient. And yet there were similarities - both were stubborn and agressive, battling with fierce determination. Each time Sesshomaru struck the forest spirit down he was getting up to engage him in the fight again. They both were fast, but unluckily the full inu youkai was faster. His claws and fists were hitting exactly where he wanted to, Inuyasha's strikes were usually blocked or dodged and only a few reached the white-clad man. And every time they had some distance between them a whip of white energy would form in Sesshomaru's hand to strike the hanyou. Kagome wasn't sure how serious his injuries were because his robes were already red, but the youkai didn't look harmed nor tired in any way while the hanyou's growling grew unsteady, he was swaying a little when he was getting up after being sent to the ground. Kagome had seen fights before, but none of them included broken trees and blood spraying on the snow, claws ripping flesh and the bitter stench of poison filling the air. The young miko bit her lip again, trying to find a way to aid her friend, to help him win this battle, but without her bow and arrows she couldn't do much - there was no chance she could touch the youkai again, and even if she could the damage inflicted by her power wouldn't do him any real harm. Kagome found it hard to just follow their motions with her eyes, in the fading daylight they were more like shadows dancing under tree limbs.

"They are a sight to behold, right?" Kagone yelped and jumped at the sudden voice beside her. She turned to see the female youkai sitting on a small cloud floating a meter above the ground near her. The young miko realized she had forgot about the other youkai, who was now quite close to her. Kagome tensed and gripped the She glanced at the human and gave her a small half smile before turning her attention to the fight. "You have no reason to fear me, friend of the hanyou, at least not today. I can't wield Tessaiga, so I have no desire to take it. I would prefer to wield the wielder of this sword, especially because I once did. If the pup survive he should..."

"Inuyasha will survive just fine," Kagome cut in, refusing to let her faith in him grow smaller, refusing to let the woman finish her thought. She turned her worried eyes to the forest spirit as he was thrown on the ground near them. With a curse on his lips the hanyou quickly jumped to the side, rolling in the snow and evading a streak of poison glowing angry green. Immediately after assuming a crouched position the forest spirit launched himself at his enemy. A second later he was again on the ground and lifting himself from remainings of a young tree on the edge of the meadow.

"No half-breed could win against a full blood youkai," the woman with silver hair shook her head at Kagome's stubborness. For her it was obvious Inuyasha had no chance to win, only to prolong the fight for a few minutes, until Sesshomaru was not bored enough to attack him full force. "Maybe if he'd give the sword to my son Sesshomaru would leave him be. Miko, you should hand the blade to him."

Kagome gave a hesitant step forward, her eyes fixed on her friend as he shook the snow off himself. She put one foot before the other, slowly approaching him. One of his ears swiveled her way and suddenly he turned to face her.

"Kagome!" Kagome's heart skipped a beat when she saw his bloodied face and yellow eyes. The next second she flew a few paces to the side before hanging in the air, her feet almost brushing against the ground under her, trying to catch her breath. Her eyes left Inuyasha's face to look at the youkai holding her by her throat, his claws digging in her skin as he examined her face with narrowed eyes which were as golden as Inuyasha's but lacking the warmth, the fire dwelling in the hanyou's gaze. She reached her hands to his wrist and loosen the iron grip he had on her. It wasn't too tight for her not to breathe, but it was close. Her efforts were in vain and it only frightened her more than the close proximity od the youkai.

"Human," Sesshomaru said, his voice even and calm as he was watching Kagome try to pry his fingers from her throat. The miko had troubles breathing, a part of her was surprised she was still alive. "Try any of your miko tricks and you will die."

'Huh? Is there a way for me not to die?' she blinked away tears and clawed with her nails at the same spot she had touched with her power before. He didn't even flinch.

"Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha barked. "Let her go!"

Kagome's hold on Sesshomaru's wrist tightened when she heard her friend's voice, thick with anger and worry. She interrupted their fight, but it didn't go the best of ways. She just wanted to return the sword to Inuyasha so he could fight... And now she didn't even hold it.

"Lower the barrier around the sword," the inu youkai ordered her as if he couldn't hear the forest spirit's demand. The young healer felt cold fear grip her heart.

"I... Don't know... How..." she gasped out. She'd never realized there was a barrier around the katana, she had never felt anything around it... Until the odd warmth today and the sparks when Sesshomaru had tried to draw it. She struggled agains the limb holding her standing on her toes, trying to free herself, take a deep breath and control her fear.

"Then..." the youkai started.

"Oi, asshole!" her wide opened eyes found Inuyasha's form standing a little to Sesshomaru's right, he was holding the sword she had dropped when the youkai grabbed her throat. She gave out a small sound of pain when Sesshomaru's fingers tightened their hold on her. For a brief second brown eyes met golden ones. Inuyasha's ears lowered instantly and he averted his gaze to look at the other male who was simply watching them both. "Leave her out of this."

"This Sesshomaru came here to take his father's fang," he stated proudly. Inuyasha looked down at the katana and muttered something under his breath. "This one doesn't care if he leaves this place covered in blood of lower beings or not. Hand over the sword and the human you seem to be attached to will be spared."

Something red and white flashed before Kagome's eyes.

"I'll hand it to ya, fucker!" suddenly Kagome lost the support of Sesshomaru's hand holding her upright and collapsed to her feet. She quickly looked around, gasping for air and trying to find a way to escape the close proximity of the inu youkai.

First thing she noticed was a hand separated from someone's body above the wrist. Brown eyes snapped up as she felt a familiar warm aura around her. Well, right now it wasn't warm, it was burning with rage. Still, the sight of the forest spirit stading where the youkai had been just a moment ago was like a gentle balm causing her fear to fade. She was slowly growing used to the knowledge he'd come to save her no matter what and the odd feeling of fuzzy warmth inside her made her almost smile.

It didn't last long, because now she could see his wounds more clearly, she could smell the metallic scent of blood seeping from his body from various spots, mixed with the stench of poison lingering around his kimono's sleeves he had used to block as much of it as possible. He was standing avoiding putting pressure on his left foot, which was scraped badly and bleeding. Kagome remembered how many times he had fell, how many strikes Sesshomaru had laid on him. And yet he was standing protectively before her again, not willing to show how much in pain he was, stubborn as always. 'Oh, Inuyasha...' Inuyasha didn't look at her, didn't ask if she was alright. He was staring at what he was holding, the look of shock and amazement glittering in his golden eyes, his mouth slightly agape.

In his left hand was Tessaiga's sheath, plain and old. Fingers of his right hand were wrapped around Tessaiga's hilt, but to Kagome's shock the katana was different than before. Once before she had drew the sword to see it and had been really sad for Inuyasha that the sword was in such a bad shape. The rusty, battered blade was gone, replaced by a huge fang-shaped one. Sesshomaru, standing a few meters in front of them, glanced at his left arm, blood dripping from his wound but he didn't show pain or concern. His golden eyes widened only when they rested on the sword held by the hanyou, who gave him a smirk in return.

"Told ya I'm protecting her and my forest," he said. The youki around the blade flickered blue a few times before morphing to red. Kagome opened her mouth to say something, to ask one of many questions she had, but the forest spirit was already gone, charging at the youkai trespassing in his domain.

o0o

The worst was happening before his eyes. He was holding the sword said to be a mighty one, but useless in his hands because he was just a weak half-breed. It seemed to be still warm from Kagome's hold. He was watching the one human aside of his mother who didn't despise him, who always treated him like a person, not a joke of nature, being held and hurt by the bastard half brother of his. He tried to approach, but Sesshomaru just gave him a glare and tightened his hold on the miko. His heart skipped a beat when he met Kagome's eyes - he found trust in those brown orbs, mixed with pain and fear. She trusted him. She trusted him to save her. 'Her life belongs to me, I will preserve it,' a voice in the back of his mind whispered. 'She gave my life back to me.'

She was too weak to handle the Asshole on her own. Hell, Kikyou wouldn't do any better, his tight-ass-ness was a daiyoukai and no single miko could kick his ass.

His eyes droped to the sword he had picked from the snow where Kagome had dropped it. 'All because the fucker who fathered us had to give it to me over the Asshole's head,' he thought bitterly. There was a reason for it, but Inuyasha wouldn't tell it to anyone - the Asshole especially. His claws caressed the hilt in the same manner as his mother's had been caressing it multiple times long time ago.

"Help me protect her," he muttered in the same manner his mother used to pray when he was a child, asking for protection for her dog-eared son. Inuyasha had always thought she was doing it so the sword would keep his youkai blood in check every full moon. The moon was almost entirely dark tonight, so he didn't feel the seal around him while holding the seemingly lifeless piece of metal. Inuyasha found determination rise in his heart when he spoke his mother's old prayer.

"This one doesn't care if he leaves this place covered in blood of lower beings or not. Hand over the sword and the human you seem to be attached to will be spared."

Inuyasha barely heard his words because a heartbeat after his prayer left his mouth he felt a surge of foregin power radiate from the sheathed blade, wiping away his pain and filling him with new energy. He didn't even have time to try to block it, it went over him like a wave, pulsing in time with his heartbeat. He lifted his eyes to look at Kagome, Sesshomaru's claws digging in her skin, causing thin lines of blood to run down her throat. Her scent was tinted with the smell of her blood and fear. There was no time for shock, for doubt, for any thought to cross his mind. His human, his babbling about shit companion from under the Tree of Ages, his... Friend... She needed him.

Inuyasha drew.

o0o

Kimiko was sitting on a cloud and observing everything unfolding before her eyes. She could see her son's confidence and iron will, his deremination to get what he wanted. She could also see how set on preventing that was Izayoi's son. For a half-breed he was pretty good - after all he was still alive and able to stand. 'I am sure I can use this strength for benefit of the clan if the pup survives. He would never be a part of the clan. but an ally... Or a tool would be perfect, benefitting him as well, in a way.'

A splatter of poison fell on her cheek when Sesshomaru swiped at his half brother. While it would burn and probably kill a lesser youkai or a human Kimiko merely wiped it off with her sleeve. 'Fluffy needs to practice more and try to fight more clean,' she thought and pictured the disgust on Sesshomaru's face upon hearing her call him by this old nickname. She turned her gaze to the human girl holding the prize for the winner of this fight - her mate's fang. 'Oh, Touga, you'd be so pissed to see them fight over it like dogs over a bone. You'd probably trash them both for being idiots," she mused and approached the human in a casual manner. The girl was not Izayoi, she was lacking the iron will and courage of the princess, but she was still braver than many of her kind. She didn't flee and listened to Kimiko's words. She didn't need much to be pushed into action and the female youkai wondered if she even needed her help.

Kimiko couldn't stop a small wicked smirk tug on her lips when she saw Sesshomaru grab the girl and demand of her to lower the barrier around the blade. As if she could. As if a mere human could sever the spell cast by the greatest dog youkai of his time.

Whatever was going through the half youkai's head it made his youki flicker and caused Kimiko's attention to switch to him - sadly she missed what he had muttered. The next second he was moving and the female youkai felt a wave of youki she knew so well.

"Touga," she breathed out when she saw the rusty blade appear just to transform in the fang of the Great Dog General. In one swift, fluid motion, much faster than any attack Inuyasha had threw Sesshomaru's way for quite some time, the hanyou slammed the sword down...

...Right on Sesshomaru's outstretched arm. Kimiko bit her lip. Why didn't he aim for the kill? He simply freed the human girl from her son's grasp. It was not like aiming for Sesshomaru's heart would do him any good, the youkai was probably ready to evade such an obvious attack. Suddenly her eyes widened and a grin reappeared on her mouth, her fangs showing. 'Have you someone to protect, huh?' she remembered Touga's words while observing the hanyou standing guard over the kneeling human.

She turned to look at her own son, almost amused at the shocked look on his face. 'Well, who knew visiting Izayoi's pup would be so entertaining?' she thought as she sat more comfortably on her cloud.

o0o

Kagome was observing the battle unfold under the fading daylight and growing silver light of the stars. The hanyou was attacking his opponent with new vigor, but the youkai was still fast enough to dodge his attacks. Kagome's concern for the hanyou returned when she noticed he was visibly growing tired and his strikes were slower. Kagome cried out when the youkai jumped at the hanyou who had stumbled. She cried out once more when the huge blade sprang up amd sliced Sesshomaru's side, the pristine white kimono stained red. The full youkai jumped back avoiding the slash to his throat by mere inches. Inuyasha let out a guttural chuckle.

"Pesky half-breed," Sesshomaru uttered looking down at his side. Finally Kagome saw a hint of emotion on his face, pain mixed with disbelief, disgust and anger.

"Half-breeed who cut ya, fucker!" Inuyasha barked smugly and raised the sword in his hands, daring Sesshomaru to deny his words. "Maybe ya need a shield?"

"This one doesn't require a shield, half-breed," Sesshomaru hissed and suddenly a smirk appeared on his lips. He turned to look at Kagome, still kneling on the other side of the meadow.

"No, you don't!" the forest spirit jumped between them and the huge blade came down once more. Sesshomaru almost dodged it entirely, but the wound on his side must slowed him down. This time Inuyasha took the rest of his left arm, cutting through flesh and armor easily. The youkai took a few steps back, his eyes resting on the bloodied blade in his half brother's hand. Kagome stood up when she heard his voice.

"I will have Tessaiga," the youkai stated before his body morphed in a ball of light which flew in the sky to disappear behind treetops. The young miko was already running to the forest spirit's side when he rested the tip of his sword against the frozen earth to support himself. Kagome outstretched her arms and felt the hanyou tense under her touch, his head lifting, yellow eyes blazing.

"You idiot!" he barked.

"Inu-Inuyasha?" she breathed out in shock at the anger in his gaze.

"You almost get yourself killed! What were you thinking, Ka-go-me?!" he growled when she bit her bottom lip and went to help him stand, sneaking herself under his left arm and wrapping her own around his waist. He was so tense... And sweaty, and bloodied, and...

"I just wanted to help you!" she hissed as she glared at him.

"Yeah? By letting the bastard kill you? Geez, much help it'd be!" Kagome did her best to growl back at him. Why couldn't he move past this? She was fine!

"Oh, shut up!" Kagome tried to make him relax a little and lean on her.

"Next time..."

A quiet chuckle made him froze and the both of them turned to the side. The female youkai was sitting on her cloud and covering her mouth with a sleeve-covered palm. Inuyasha stiffened even more and with a sigh pulled the sword off the ground while stepping in front of Kagome.

"You know you owe me one, pup," the youkai said, her golden eyes focused on the pair, calculating, but not as cold as her son's. "And you harmed my precious Sesshomaru. I was inclined to aid my pup, but I restrained my motherly instincts so you could achieve that," she gestured to the transformed sword. Inuyasha's ears lowered. "So when I come back I hope you will be more inclined to show hospitality and good will, son of Izayoi."

"Feh, maybe I'll just feed you a length of steel," he replied. Kagome deftly sneaked in her old place when he swayed after taking a step forward.

"Sad will be the day when the alpha female of the Lunar Akita clan lets a half youkai harm her with the fang of her mate," the female made a dramatic gesture."

"Not for me," Inuyasha attepted to shrug. "You're fuckin' annoyin', bitch."

"Master the sword, pup," the woman shook her head. "And think about what I told you. Lone dogs won't survive."

"I''m not alone."

Kagome looked up when she felt his arm around her pull her closer. She blushed when the female youkai chuckled yet again.

"It seems you aren't. Yet a friendly pack beyond your border is better than a pack going after your head for what you did do my son," the forest spirit growled. "Human girl?"

Kagome turned to look at the mononoke in surprise. "Y-yes?"

"Put a leash on your pup. He needs an intense training."

"Um..." Kagome bit her lip, but luckily the female didn't bother to wait for her reply, she streaked away in a manner similar to her son's.

Silence filled the meadow. Kagome looked around at the destruction, the blood-covered snow, the broken trees, gashes of poison coloring the pristine white green.

"I think..." she started.

"Shhh!" Inuyasha hissed, his ears swiveling to the side. Kagome obediently closed her mouth, feeling the body of her companion shiver against hers. "Fighting. Shouting. Comin' this way."

The miko and hanyou didn't have time to do anything before a pair of fighters ran onto the gladde from behind the thick trees.

"Kitsne fire!"

"Staff of Two Heads-aaaah!"

Before stunned brown and annoyed golden eyes a little fox youkai was battling with a green person wielding an odd staff, blue and red fire blazing between them both.

"GET THE FUCK OUT OFF MY FOREST, TOAD!" roared the forest spirit. "Before you put it on fire and then I run you with my claws!"

Shippou yelped and jumped to the nearest tree limb to hide there from the sheer force of the irate hanyou's voice. The toad cried in shock and turned around. He looked at the whole place.

"Lord Sesshomaru?! Where are you?" he called in voice more befitting a child looking for their missing mother. Inuyasha pointed with Tessaiga.

"Get. The. Fuck. Out. Off. Here. Toad," he repeated. The short man eyed the battered hanyou and the human woman attempting to support - or hold back - him, then gave the meadow an another glance. He took a deep breath.

"Lord Sesshomaru, wait for me!" he cried while running away. A moment later Shippou jumped to the ground and walked to the pair, his eyes following the retreating enemy.

"That was a worthy opponent," he said proud of himself. Inuyasha sighed and closed his eyes. The sword in his grip transformed to the not impressive state and then slid from his, suddenly limp, fingers. Kagome cried out when the hanyou leaned heavily on her and then they slipped to the cold ground. Shippou's smug grin disappeared, replaced by concern.

"Are you okay?" he asked, taking in the sight they were presenting.

The miko smiled, it was probably the first time she heard him use the kid's name and not an insult. Her smile quickly died when the hanyou graceless fell on his face.

A/N: As I said on my tumblr - I'll be offline 20-27 August, but I'll do my best to work on my stories. I can at least promise some chapters of Barks and Adorable Curse. Hopefully will have a chunk of 17th chapter done too, so I could post it, but it still probably be in first week of September at best. Sorry it takes me so long to post new chapters of this story!


	17. Guests

**Guests**

Summary: When the forest spirit's wounds heal a mysterious carriage moves through his forest.

A/N: Hi, guys! I know it was a long wait, but first I had some rl stuff - along with me feeling worse. Then I finally got enough courage to ask my readers who would like to beta read this fic and it took me a while to correct the ton of mistakes I had made. But, hey, it's up now and I feel like my shitty time's passing, so yay!

My amazing Beta for this chapter: sunshineisdelicious from AO3 and Inkjelly from FFnet.

o0o

He was sealed, he was chained. He was rendered powerless, weaker than during his human night, unable to move, to defend himself. There was only darkness, silky silence, the utter loneliness of his mind floating in the void which was the seal on his being.

It wasn't painful. His body felt numb and weak.

He wanted to howl, to run, to fight - and he couldn't do any of those things. He was denied even witnessing the world changing around him. He couldn't even feel the Tree of Ages behind his back. And then...

"Inuyasha..." a voice in the silence. Quiet, distant, but clear. The sound of his name, bluntly stating who he was. He almost whined in relief upon hearing it, but then he remembered that there was no point - there wouldn't be any sound leaving his mouth, telling the speaking person he could hear her.

The voice was coming and going in waves, ringing with various emotions - annoyance, worry, tiredness... But it was reaching his ears, filling them with the melody he longed to hear again.

Then pain came. It was as new as the voice, it was almost too real in the timeless darkness. It was burning in his veins, in his shoulders, his chest. It made him suddenly aware of his own body, of the shape of his limbs. Suddenly he felt something cool touch his chest, soothing the pain.

"Oh, Inuyasha..." The voice was so full of worry, of sympathy. He realized he knew this voice - the voice of the petite miko with gentle hands and brown eyes full of life, of the girl who was looking at him and seeing a man behind the demonic traits. The woman he wanted - needed - to protect, shield from any danger. She was too kind, too trusting, too accepting for her own good.

He was no longer in the void of the seal, he was no longer in the cold nothingness. Her voice brought warmth and her scent filled his nose, calming his worries. This blissful peacefulness didn't last long.

Inuyasha reacted instantly when a new scent filled his nostrils. In one motion - which he regretted dearly because his body was aching - he sat up and looked around to locate a potential danger.

An eye looked back at him from a half-opened door.

o0o

Kagome felt warm and felt safe, her mind slowly drifting to awareness.

She remembered the events of the previous day - it had been quite long. It had started with a mad run through Inuyasha's Forest, the forest spirit himself hot on her heels. Then there had come the final part of the hunt - devouring the prey. The mere memory of her joy and Inuyasha's merriment made her feel good and snuggle in her warm blanket. The hours spent with Shippou, watching his magic tricks, listening to Myoga's tales about ancient youkai came to her mind just before she remembered the argument she had had with Inuyasha, resulting in her going back home alone.

And then there had been the great inu youkai and her terrifying son. The bloody battle between Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, her fear and hope, the dull blade transforming in an iron fang which had chopped off Sesshomaru's hand and had spilled his blood... A memory of Shippou fighting a small youkai concluded the whole battle scene unfolding in Kagome's mind as she was slowly more and more awake.

'Then Inuyasha fell and I had to drag him to safety with Shippou and Myoga, who suddenly appeared back on my shoulder,' Kagome thought. The memory of the cold, dark forest and them trying not to cause Inuyasha more pain while moving him to a place where she could tend to his wounds danced in her mind. She barely contained a shiver of fear and cold upon remembering that. She had been so worried something would smell the blood and try to attack them.

Kagome had been exhausted when they had reached the safe haven, but she had found enough strength to clean and wrap Inuyasha's wounds. 'I should get up and tend to his injuries... Maybe he'd wake up...' she thought lazily.

Suddenly she was deprived of her source of warmth and her blanket slid off her shoulder. A low, menacing growl filled her ears, she sat up with a lump of fear in her throat. What could cause such a growl? They were in one of the safest places Kagome could think of!

First thing she saw was that her blanket was in fact Inuyasha's kimono - it was clean and not sporting any other signs of the battle.

"Inuyasha!" she exclaimed when her gaze rested on the source of the growl. There he was, sitting just beside her, his chest and arms bare beside of the bandages, wrapped around his wounds. His ears were cocked backwards, completing the look of an angry forest spirit adorning his handsome face. His golden eyes were focused on the doorway and he didn't spare a look at her. As she was turning to see what he was looking at, from the corner of her eye Kagome noticed Shippou's orange tail twitching in anxiety as he positioned himself behind the hanyou, partially hidden from the intruder. There was someone standing in the opened door.

"That is quite a sight to behold," Kaede commented as her one good eyes swept across the room. Kagome knew what she saw - beside of the three of them there were bags of herbs, jars of ointments, and lengths of bandages spreaded around them. The previous night she had been too tired to put them back in their respective places. There was also a bowl of dirty water and a rag left behind after cleaning the wounds. She had just curled in a ball beside her friend, with Shippou on his other side. Somewhere during the night she had pulled the red kimono over herself and had snuggled closer to the warm body of the forest spirit near her.

...And now Kaede was looking straight at her.

"M-Mother..." Kagome stuttered. "I can explain..."

"What are you doing here, old woman?" Inuyasha barked out. Kaede gave him a half smile full of amusement.

"I live here. The better question is, forest spirit, what are you doing here? From what I know about you, you are not very fond of spending time outside your woods."

"Fuck off," he spat. Kagome swallowed and grabbed his elbow. "What?" he glared at her.

"Please, be nice. I brought you home and... and..."

"We patched your wounds and Kagome put some herbs on them so your fever went down, Inuyasha," Shippou finished for her as he walked behind the forest spirit to join her on his other side. Inuyasha looked down at his bandaged chest.

"I'd be fine without your stupid bandages," he muttered and glared at Kaede still standing in the doorway.

"Yeah, right," Kagome rreplied and scowling at him.

"Judging from what I see you fought a hard battle, hanyou," the old miko commnted, stopping their argument before it even started. "I am glad my daughter managed to aid you in any way she could."

Inuyasha visibly flinched, then bared his teeth on the old woman. Kagome felt his muscles tense under her hand and gripped him tighter, fearing he would attack her mother for uttering the word 'hanyou'. After all this was his secret. No one in the village knew the forest spirit was of mixed blood. Kagone realized the old miko must have had enough time and wasn't busy helping others - who knew how long had she been observing them before their awakening? - enough time and power to read Inuyasha's aura from close distance. 'She knows what he is and he's worried what she'll do,' she thought and turned to face Kaede once more, shifting her position so she was slightly in front of Inuyasha.

"Forest spirit," she whispered softly, trying to calm him down with her voice before she took her new position in between them. "Mother, I was attacked by two youkai on my way home and the forest spirit saved my life. Again. I couldn't do anything else but to tend to his wounds."

Kaede gave her daughter a soft smile, one which always had power to calm her worries.

"Calm down, both... all of you," The little kitsune flickered his tail. "I am most grateful for the forest spirit's aid and I don't care about his heritage as long as I know his heart is not tainted and he protects my family and village."

Inuyasha scowled at the woman, but said nothing. To Kagome's annoyance he didn't relax one bit.

"You're welcome to stay here and rest as long as you want to and join us for the meals," Kaede continued, "After all you are the guardian of the forest. Your little helper is welcome as well." Kagome's heart swelled upon hearing those words. Her mother was the only person she had talkedg about her youkai friends (she had told her just a fraction of all the stuff she knew) and it warmed her heart to see that the old miko was not only trusting her judgement of characters, but was willing to tolerate youkai in her house. It had to be odd for a miko to let a mononoke in her house, even if he was not vile.

"Very funny, coming from a hag who tried to purify my ass." Inuyasha was unwilling to put his trust in Kagome's mother, despite everything Kagome had told him about her. 'I guess it will take much more than words to make him trust someone... When I look at him I'm shocked he trusts me,' Kagome thought. 'But again, he still has a lot of secrets, like the whole full moon thing. I should make him explain it to me, but every time I ask he tells me he will tell me later...' she mused.

"We started off on the wrong foot, forest spirit, but I mean you and yours no harm, as you mean no harm to me or the village," the old miko said in a formal tone of speech. "You both are Kagome's friends, hanyou and kitsune, and from what I heard she holds you closer to her heart than she does the majority of this village."

"Mother!" Kagome blushed in embarrassment.

"...So I think it would benefit us all to try and become frindly to each other as well," Kaede finished, amusement at seeing her daughter try to cover her pink cheeks with her hands in her voice. "Besides - you were once friends with my sister and I always wanted to have a chance to talk to a youkai who had in his heart something everyone deemed youkai unable to hold: the ability to care for others. It warms my heart to see that this ability was not destroyed within you by whatever happened between you and Kikyou," she finished her speech and watched the faces of her listeners for a moment before adding. "I'll prepare breakfast, come when you're ready."

With those words she left.

"I'm not an emotional weakling like you, humans!" Inuyasha cried after her after a second of staring at the empty doorway.

Kagome turned around to look at the forest spirit and the kitsune who was simply observing the adults and trying to see if it would be safe for him to stay in the miko's house without hiding. Yellow and brown eyes met.

"Where's my sword? We need to go."

"You lay down, I need to check on your wounds."

They spoke in the same second and scowled at each other. refusing to look away and admit that the other won their staring competition.

Inuyasha growled after a minute and simply sliced the bandages with his claws to expose his wounds-free form to her.

"I'm fine, wench, look!" he barked. "I'm not a puny human, my body heals much faster than yours!"

Kagome looked. The previous night she had had no time to simply look at her friend's bare upper body, but now, thanks to him shredding his bandages, there was nothing preventing her from looking. She had seen more muscular chests - for example the smith's sons were often baring their torsos for girls to admire - and many tanned boys during the harvest time, but... She even once had seen him once - briefly - in the hot spring in his den. But not from so close. "Um..."

"See?" he picked up his red robe and covered the expanse of lean, tanned chest. Kagome gave a small nod - there were not even scars where the wounds should be.

"Inuyasha?" Shippou asked suddenly. "Can we stay and eat with Kagome and her mom? She must cook pretty good and she seems friendly..." Both of them looked at the young fox who was standing next to them, his fluffy tail lifted in hope. Before Inuyasha could answer Kagome snatched the child and hugged to herself.

"Oh, you must stay for the breakfast!" she exclaimed a little too loudly. "Mother makes the best breakfast soup and you must taste it! You can go back to your den later, right?"

To her joy Inuyasha was not powerful enough to resist the two sets of puppy eyes staring at him and he just shook his head after a minute of frowning at them.

An half of a hour later the young miko was sitting with her mother and two youkai around the firepit in her house, enjoying the warmth and good food. It was funny to watch Inuyasha smelling the containers of his bowl suspiciously before hastily stuffing his mouth with rice and vegetables. Shippou was eating no less eagerly, praising Kaede's cooking. The old miko was smiling at the young fox with an expression of genuine kindness, even if she seemed a little overwhelmed by the speed in which her food was disappearing down two youkai throats. Kagome just smiled at them and dug in her own bowl. It was like a something from a nice dream, having her friends around the fire with her family. It was making her feel warm and happy, even if they weren't talking much - aside from Shippou babbling about tasty food and then showing Kaede a few of his tricks. Kagome was glad to see the kitsune interact with someone else. Being stuck in Inuyasha's den was probably very boring for the kid.

Suddenly Inuyasha tensed and his ears swiveled in the direction of the door - a few seconds later a man appeared there, panting and bowing both to show respect and to catch his breath. He was dressed in warm clothes, a scarf covering almost his entire face and when he spoke Kagome couldn't recognize him by voice. He had a bow and a quiver of arrows swung over his shoulder so she guessed he was one of the huntsmen.

"Miko Kaede!" he panted out. "Youkai are attacking some people in the fo-"

The man never finished because his gaze landed on the forest spirit, who was staring back at him. The man turned his pleading gaze to the hanyou sitting beide two mikos with a bowl and chopsticks in his hands.

"F-forest spirit..." he breathed out. "Please..."

"Keh," Inuyasha got to his feet in a slow motion, indicating he didn't really care. "Shippou, you stay here, just don't let the old hag purify you."

"I won't!" Shippou promised and looked at Kaede with his head tilted slightly, as if trying to decide if she really would cast a spell on him.

"I'm going with you," Kagome put her bowl down and grabbed a basket containing first aid supplies. The basket was always ready beside the door so they could rush to help without collecting things and wasting time. Inuyasha spared her a glance when she followed him. "Someone could be hurt, I can help." To her surprise all she got back was a shrug.

"Feh, just move your ass." The forest spirit pushed the hunter of his way. Kagome went outside after him and found the hanyou crouching in the snow, sniffing the air and waiting for her to climb on his back. "Don't let anything eat you," he said gruffly.

"Keh!" she replied and wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling his hands come to hold her under her knees. She caught a glimpse of a small smirk on his face when he turned his head sideways before leaping down the hillside.

"That's my line!" he barked while still in the air. Kagome loved riding on Inuyasha's back. It was like flying and it gave her a strange sense of freedom and security. And judging by how often Inuyasha carried her (even if he was grumbling that it was because she was so slow) it seemed he liked their rides as well. Even now, running to fight youkai, Kagome couldn't help herself but enjoy the ride. 'And to think I was scared the first time...' she thought when her friend ran through the village, easily avoiding those few people who were on the way to the forest. They had to be a sight to behold - the forest spirit wasn't one to race through the village on a daily basis, especially with the young miko on his back.

Mere minutes later they were in the forest, following the road which would eventually lead outside of Inuyasha's Forest. It was not used often, especially during the winter. The snow-covered scenery of a peaceful wood was like a white and brown blur to Kagome, she didn't really care about it. Inuyasha was obviously following his keen senses, his ears perked forward, focused on sounds she couldn't hear.

She saw a tree trunk laying across the road and felt the forest spirit tense under her as he approached the fallen tree, his pace slower now. Kagome wondered if the tree had been blocking the road for long - the bark was separated from the roots in a violent way, many splinters scattered on the snow around the place where the tree had been growing and sticking out from both pieces of the trunk.

"Focus, wench," Inuyasha's barked command brought her back to the present. She looked where he was looking - at the other side of the tree. The barricade reached to her chest, she learned this when the forest spirit finally stopped and let go of her legs and she stepped away from him.

On the other side of the tree stood a carriage. Kagome gripped her basket tighter when she saw no human being around it. At least no living human being. There was the driver a few meters to her right, ripped to pieces. There was also a man in outfit of a samurai, his head severed from the rest of his body and resting face first under teh carriage. Kagome gasped and covered her mouth with her free hand at that sight. Two horses that had been pulling the vehicle were dead as well, steam rising out of their ripped open bellies. On the back of one of them was sitting a humanoid creature covered in thick brown fur stained with blood and holding something looking like the heart of a horse. The glowing yellow eyes of the beast rested on the pair not more than twenty meters from it, the fallen tree the only barrier between them. It stopped munching at the organ held in both claws.

"Half breed, get lost. My prey, my forest. Unless want to be killed by me, great..."

Kagome never learned the name of the youkai because Inuyasha didn't give it time to introduce itself. The hanyou jumped at it the moment his right to his domain was challenged. Kagome wasted a second to watch the two supernatural beings engaged in a fight of claws and fangs. The youkai was no Sesshomaru, but it was fast and its claws seemed deadly sharp. It hissed as it saw Inuyasha approaching it, leaving the carcass behind to meet the hanyou halfway. The hanyou snarled at it and slashed his own claws at it, barely missing as it dodged fluidly.

Instead of waiting for Inuyasha to kill the youkai - she was sure he could do it and it was just matter of time - Kagome went around the tree, carefully stepping around the sharp splinters on the end of the trunk. She dashed in the direction of the carriage while focusing her powers to check if there were more vile beasts nearby. The youki of the unnamed youkai and the forest spirit was all she could feel and she sighed in relief while stopping beside the closed door of the vehicle. She couldn't help the killed men more than pray for peace of their souls, but she hoped that inside she could find survivors. There was a big chance of that since the carriage had no marks of fighting on it. The miko spotted an another warrior and two more horses behind the carriage, all killed violently. It seemed this samurai had put up a fight before the youkai had torn his body to pieces. 'Maybe the beheaded man was the first who died,' she mused. 'Poor people...'

Inuyasha growled something at his opponent, something Kagome couldn't understand. She turned her head to look at the forest spirit - he was standing on top of the tree, blood dripping from his claws as he was readying himself to attack the mononoke who was behind the barrier on the road. 'Why is he not using his sword?'

And that was when the door of the carriage opened and two hands grabbed Kagome to drag her in the darkness. The young miko yelped and dropped her basket. And the door slammed shut behind her.

A/N: Yaay, topless Inu! And look, I managed to put some gore here too!


	18. (Bonus) The Stray Dog

A/N: Yeah, I know it was ages since I updated this story, so to make it up for this I decided to post a bonus chap - and the next chap will be uploaded soon, so don't kill me for the long wait (at least not until I finally reach the shippy parts, I really want to reach them).  
Song: Point of no return - Starset  
Beta: Inkjelly

* * *

 **(Bonus) The Stray Dog**

* * *

"Touga! Touga!" called a feminine voice, full of laughter. A young lady was sitting under a plum tree, sewing in her lap. It was a sunny summer day, the garden was huge and full of flowers and trees of great beauty. The lady Hana was the fairest of them all.

At least to him. As he jumped above a bush covered in little pink flowers he opened his mouth, tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth. He gracefully and swiftly ran to her and nuzzled her offered palm with the eagerness of a love struck puppy. He was no longer a pup, but he adored his lady.

She was his mistress and he was her dog, her guardian. Her hands were petting his ears and fluffy fur, he was licking her cheeks in a dog version of affectionate kisses, his tail swaying in joy.

The world was at peace as he rested his huge body beside his sewing mistress, content to watch her with his golden eyes. He had someone to protect and cherish and for this he was grateful, for this human woman he would happily lay his life.

o0o

He was laying before the door to the bedchamber of his mistress, a little confused at all the havoc of last few days. She had left her father's palace to come to this new place. There had been a huge feast, loud music and various scents encircling the great number of humans. He was confused, but calm. His mistress was happy and excited. She was in her chamber, other females helping her prepare for the night.

When the women finally left, he was listening to his lady anxiously pace the chamber for a few minutes. Then he saw the human male walking down the corridor. He was carrying a little of her scent - mostly on his hands. He was handsome in a way a human could be - strong jaw, dark eyes and hair, high cheekbones. He was wearing a simple robe, but by its scent the dog knew it was not a common fabric.

The dog stood up and lowered his head, growling and letting his ears lower as well. The man stopped at the sound and sight of a big, white dog blocking his way. In the soft moonlight the dog looked more like a ghost, a youkai, than a normal animal.

"Easy, big boy," he said in a calming voice, but the dog didn't cease his growling. The door behind him slid open a little and the scent of the lady surrounded the dog.

"Touga," her petite hand smoothed the lifted fur on his neck. "He means no harm."

The dog instantly relaxed, as did the man. The lady bowed deeply.

"Forgive him, lord husband. He's just very protective of me. Please, don't hold his loyalty to me against him."

"An inugami guarding a celestial maiden - how fitting," the man teased, his eyes shining when he was looking at the lovely maiden, his new wife. She blushed while smiling and returned to the room. When he followed, the dog just sat down. He didn't understand what an inugami or a celestial maiden was, but he understood this male was his lady's mate, so he decided not to growl at him again. After all a mate wouldn't want any harm to come their mate's way. He and the human had the same goal.

o0o

He was anxious. Something wasn't right, didn't smell right. He was hungry and was missing his mistress, but her mate was keeping him concealed in the stables for a reason he couldn't fathom. Now, after some time of being captured and held in this small spacce, he desired only to rest under his lady's feet, He lifted his head from his paws when he saw the lady's mate and a man who was smelling odd come back. They put a leash on his neck.

He let them, over the last two years he had learned that the mate of his mistress was very fond of her, loved her deeply and didn't mind Touga staying at her side. The dog didn't care for much more. The two humans led him out of the stable and then away from the palace. He was surprised they didn't let him run to his lady's side, but decided he could wait just a moment longer. After all he knew how much she liked him following orders of her mate. He wanted to see her smile in delight and pet his ears.

They ordered him to jump in a shallow hole and sit there - he obeyed, even if he felt something was off. He wanted to run free, to hunt or go to the kitchen and beg for meat scraps. And then he could curl in his lady's bedchamber... A small pull on his leash pulled him out of his simple daydreams. Before he could think about jumping off the hole or doing anything else he was pinned to one side of the hole. With a howl he started to struggle, but the leash and a big piece of wood were keeping him in place, the latter painfully pressing his lower body to the ground. The man assisting the mate of his lady quickly covered his white form with dirt and made sure only his head was sticking out. He tried to move, to bite his hands, frantically trying to free himself, but his paws were unable to dig him out. It was beyond his power to do so, so he turned his pleading eyes to the human he trusted and was loyal to. He whined as he looked at his lady's mate, trying to beg him to let him go. He was a good dog, an obedient one, a faithful protector of his mistress. Why were they suspending him like this? His mind was full of confusion and fear. Why were they punishing him in such a manner? Where was his lady? She wouldn't let them torment him like that!

Hours were passing and he was still unable to get free, to understand. The men were sitting nearby under a tree, talking, while he was in the sunlight, panting and whining. He was hungry, he was thirsty. He felt betrayed. He wanted to see his mistress. He begged the humans to release him, but it was in vain. All he managed to do was to make them walk away.

o0o

It was night (he wasn't sure if it was the first or fifth, or fifteenth one, he wasn't sure anymore) when the humans returned (in his hazy mind he could recall their previous arrivals and departures - he wasn't sure if they were real memories. This time they put fresh meat in front of him. He could smell it, even if his eyes were foggy he had still his nose. He tried to reach it, but it was just beyond his reach - it was as good as a ri away from him. He whimpered and felt the lady's mate's hand on his head. He had no strength left to do anything about the touch.

"It will be over soon," he promised. The dog whined to tell him he was starving, that he felt so weak, so confused. Why the human was doing this to him? He had never been unkind to him before... How could his lady's mate be so cruel? Why was he torturing him? He could not fathom the reason behind his torment and he didn't care anymore - all he wanted was to reach the food, be saved.

o0o

...A human was chanting when a blade cut off a white head. The dog almost sensed the taste of the meat...

o0o

The dog stood up, straightened his impressive form. He looked down at the two men and the pieces of meat under his feet. His eyes, golden and red, full of just rage, focused on the man who had betrayed his trust.

"Human, how dare you betray my trust, my loyalty?" he growled while baring his fangs. The man grew pale, but the other one, the one smelling odd, started to quickly chant something. It made him freeze before leaping at the traitor. Instead, he howled as some force gripped and restrained his very being. It was too similar to the torture of his last days, his rage mixed with fear, which only made his power swirl around him in an attempt to break the invisible chains.

"Now, my lord, speak!" the man urged. The mate of his lady nodded.

"Dog. Touga," he said. Gold and crimson focused on him once more. "I want you to protect my wife, lady Hana."

He stopped struggling to get free from the hold on his spirit. His love and loyalty, his devotion and affection for the human woman filled his heart with serenity and calmness, washing away his desire to maim, to rip to pieces, to get his vengeance. He listened to the man who was her mate.

"You will obey my orders without hesitation. I order you to protect her, both from supernatural and mundane threats. I order you to attack and kill every human or youkai male who has no permission from me to enter her quarters. Only I can approach, touch her, no other male. Kill everything who tries to harm her. Report to me about her meetings with those men who have my permission to talk to her. I want her safe, I want her guarded. I want her faithful and mine - mine alone." The man's eyes were blazing with determination when he was speaking, confidence growing with every second the huge dog before him was motionlessly listening. The man beside him was still weaving his spell, chanting the binding, smiling. The more the beast wasn't fighting the more of its power would be bound, tamed and ready to be used by its master.

The dog growled so low a human couldn't hear it. The chant was making him unable to resist the orders. It would break his will and make him obey should he try to use his power to fight it. But instead of trying to get free the dog simply nodded. He wanted his mistress safe. He wanted her to be happy and away from danger. And now he could protect her forever, with the power e could feel within himself.

"As you wish, master," he rumbled as he lowered his head.

First his markings disappeared, then his huge form shrank to match the one he had had previously. A collar of shimmering gold appeared on his neck - a visible sign of the bond between him and the man who had ordered him to protect the one he wanted to protect the most in the whole world. He was still unsure what he felt towards the man, but now he was his master and the dog knew there would be no changing that - until the hyman was alive he was bound to fulfil his wishes.

"Go to her," was all he needed to leap away, in the direction of his lady's scent and presence. The man who was his master was a jealous lord, but the dog didn't care. He was going to stay at her side forever.

"He is a strong one. His love and desire to guard the noble lady were indeed remarkable," said the lord's assistant. "He will be a powerful guardian to your wife. You may rest assured that no male would lay a finger on her, no enemy of yours would harm her. I made many inugami, but this one is perfect."

o0o

That day after his return his lady was glad he was back with her and asked him never to leave her like this for so long, never to run away. He wanted to tell her that he had not run away, that he had been captured. He wanted to howl about his miserable last days as a normal dog. Yet he remained silent, the collar on his neck rendering him mute unless his master wanted him to speak. From that day the dog was always around his lady - laying beside her, following her like a shadow, happily guarding her sleeping chambers at night.

He was no longer a normal dog, other animals feared him. There was no dog in the palace who would come to sniff his white fur or want to play with him. His master's will was often bending him to attack innocent beings. But he could protect his lady better than an army of men, so he decided not to dwell on this, focus on the bright spring days with his beloved lady. He was collared, but as long as he was bound to do what he always wanted to he was content. His days were full of laughter and joy again. And he could protect his lady even better, able to sniff out danger much earlier and deal with it in one heartbeat. Sometimes he could almost forget he was no longer a mortal dog.

Soon after his rebirth the lady gave birth to her first pup - a sweet girl. He was delighted and his lady was happy. Her mate was a little less happy with a daughter for some reason, but Touga didn't understand humans any more than he had had before. Why was a father unpleased by having a strong, healthy pup?

Years were passing, the girl followed by another one. The lady was radiant and fair as always, her mate growing a little fat from his feasts. The life at the palace was calm, fulfilling, full of laughter and peace. Until one day, when the dog was walking beside his again carrying lady, a group of servants - all females - approached them. The servants had been quick to learn that the dog wouldn't let a male close to his mistress, so only females were attending her needs. The women told his lady that her mater had left the palace for a war with an another lord.

o0o

It was an another lazy day in the palace. At least it was for him, the humans were talking about battles their lord was winning and losing, the war lasting a few months already. He couldn't care less as long as the human female he was reborn to guard was safe. His mistress was sewing and talking to her ladies, the palace heavily guarded. There was nothing wrong in the air. So Touga decided to go for a perimeter run, easily jumping over the palace walls and running into the forest.

He found a few youkai and battled them, easily overpowering them with his immense strength. The sun was sinking below the horizon when he finally got back home. He noticed that the inner chambers were full of women, joyfully chatting and praising the gods. It took him only a second to catch the smell of his lady's blood and rush into her bedchamber in fear, his clawed paws carrying him faster than wind.

"Oh, Touga! You're back. Come here, doggy, see my son," the woman called him from her bed as soon as she saw the white dog stop in the doorway. He was standing there, unable to move for a long second. She was half sitting on ber bed, a tired female with her innocent, radiant smile.

"M-My lady..." he whispered, speaking for the first time since his rebirth. She turned at him her shocked eyes. The women present in her room also turned to stare at him.

"Touga? Did you just...?" she gasped when the dog she knew all its life morphed before her very eyes. She heard a few women in the room shriek in terror, but she gave no sound. The hound was no more, a man in white kimono was standing in his place, his hakama tied around the ankles of his bare feet. His unruly mane of hair was falling down his back and shoulders, silver in the firelight. His eyes remained golden, full of shock and... Pain? Determination? "What happened to you? What's wrong?"

"H-Hand the boy over to a maid and have him removed from this room," be growled out. The orders of the one who had collared him were wrapped around his very being. He was unable to ignore them, but with all his will he was trying to keep himself motionless. The order was to kill all males close to the lady. And the young male was in her arms, sucking her breast probably for the first time in his life.

And he was bound to cut his life short.

He growled again, trying to resist the orders for the first time in his life - at least for long enough to give the humans the time needed to remove the boy from the lady's presence. He was shaking in pain, his clawed fingers flexing, curling into fists so tight his claws were piercing his palms. The scent of his blood mixed with the smell of the blood of his lady lingering after her labor.

"He orders... No males with you... Lady..." he managed to push through his throat between his low growls. His voice was full of pain and despair, his collar burning his neck. Yet he was still standing in the same place, even if his spirit was battling the will of another. He was supposed to obey all orders of his master, follow his instructions blindly, without a second of hesitation. Yet the male in his lady's arms was no threat to her life or honor, it was just a little child, a pup of her womb. He closed his eyes, trying to force out his throat an order for the maids to take the pup away before the will of his father could win within him.

And then the guards ran in, attracted by the woman screaming and his growls.

The world went red.

o0o

He was sitting on a pile of ashes. The burned palace was crumbling to the ground around him as the wind was blowing stronger and stronger with the approaching storm. Wiltered leaves were falling from burned trees of the once beautiful gardens around him.

The golden collar was partially buried under the dirt a few paces away from him. It had fell off him as soon as he had ripped the man who had caused all of this. Only his death he remembered vividly, the rest of the night was like a blurr to him. He could remember only bits of images - his beloved lady clutching her newborn son, a brave maid standing between her and him as he was struggling to get the control over himself back. A soldier ripped to pieces, blood dripping from his claws and fangs... The look of horror in his lady's fair eyes... The lord returning victorious to be greeted by an inugami madly tearing his palace and servants to pieces in a struggle to not follow the one person the bond was telling him to kill... The sound of a newborn crying in arms of his mother who was begging him to calm down, to stop the bloodshed as more and more were slain.

He didn't know if anyone from the palace had survived the night. Had he killed his mistress and her pups? Had she managed to flee, her scent masked by the blood and smoke? He was mourning all who's blood was on his claws and fangs, but the lack of knowledge about the fate of the one human he cared the most was like a thorn in his heart.

A scent he knew so well came to his nose on the wind, bringing him from his thoughts. He sniffled the air and stood up, slowly walking through the ruins, not minding the still hot ground under his bare feet. He found a piece of fabric smelling like his lady - was it one of her ribbons? Or maybe a strap of her torn robe? It didn't matter to him, he lifted it to his nose to smell it for a minute before he reached up and used it to tie his hair. It would be the only thing reminding him about lady Hana and their happy days together.

Then he walked away from the place he had called home for last few years. He had no longer a person to protect, no duty he was bound to fulfil, no attachment to anything. He was free and in this moment he vowed never to bind himself to any family as their guardian spirit.

He was a stray.

A/N: In this AU the inu youkai is not really a species - it's more like a group of species. There are different dog youkai like inugami (some of them, like Touga here, reach freedom from their masters and can live and mingle with the rest, others serve their masters or guard stuff) or yama inu. It's like in real world we have different species of dogs. And, fyi, not all inu youkai in this AU are akitas. It just happens all the inu youkai we met so far are akitas.  
The idea of Touga being originally an inugami born to protect a human came to me when I was rewatching the 3rd movie. Just see how fixed on protecting a human he was, Tessaiga basically is named the Protector of Humankind (or something like this) - it kinda made sense (I'm aware he was protecting Izayoi because he was in love with her, but he seemed to be really fond of all humans, so yeah)  
And he had no moon on his forehead, which made me think that 'what if he was a stray dog?' That could explain his lack of possessions or land and stuff - sorry, guys, as much as I like Lord of the West Touga or Sesshomaru in fics, in this AU in the West rules the Lunar Akita clan - which means Sesshomaru's Mom is the asskicking ruler there. But don't worry, Sess is her heir, so he'll eventually sit his furry butt on the throne. Ooops, spoilers :D

I'm trying to work out an efficient writing schelude for myself,so hopefully I'll be posting more frequently.


	19. The Survivors

Summary: The firsty of three is brought down,

A/N: I just want to say thank you for all the readers, reviewers and followers of this story. I am so happy every time I see that you enjoy reading Forest Spirit as much as I enjoy writing it. Your lovely comments are ofthen the only things which make me smile.  
Beta: sunshineisdelicious from AO3  
Song: Jidai wo Koeru Omoi II - Kaoru Wada

* * *

 **The Survivors**

Kagome cried out and started to fight against the hand holding her just to realize that it was no longer pulling her. She blinked and saw the door of the carriage being closed by a... 'Is that a child?' She looked around the small space, frantically trying to see anything while moving back. She climbed on a bench covered by soft pillows. The inside of the carriage was dark only in comparison to the bright sunlight outside. As Kagome strained her eyes to see her sight adjusted to the light filtering in through curtains covering two small windows located on the doors on both sides of the carriage. There was no immediate danger, no attacked lusting after her blood, no vile creature desiring to devour her soul in the darkness.

"I am terribly sorry, miko," said a quiet male voice. Kagome focused on the source of the voice and saw a young man in dark kimono. His hair seemed to be black, as were his eyes. A pretty young woman in a pink kimono decorated with snowflakes was sitting next to him, a small girl sitting on her lap. Both females had long dark hair and appeared unhealthy pale. None of them tried to approach her. They looked more like frightened people not sure what would happen to them.

"Huh?" Kagome breathed out, looking at them all. They probably couldn't hear that because of the growling and sounds of fighting coming from the outside, but her expression had to be one of confusion because the young woman gave her a kind smile while stroking the girl's hair.

"We didn't mean to scare you," the woman confessed. "Just..."

"It is safer inside," the man said with a wave of his hand. "There are sutras which will prevent the youkai from hurting us when we're inside." He gestured to a few slips of paper placed on all the walls of the little space.

"And now, since the gods sent you, lady miko, you can defeat the youkai and save us," finished the woman, hope clear in her voice.

"Um..." Kagome looked between them. 'Do they really think I can take on a youkai?' The carriage shook when something landed on it heavily, Kagome cried out in surprise and fear along with the rest. While they clung to each other Kagome pushed herself in a corner of the bench, willing herself not to slid to the floor and curl in a ball when the whole place was shaking and swaying.

"Kagome!" called a rough, angry voice from above. It was tinted with... 'Is that concern?'

"Inuyasha!" Kagome called, half in relief and half to assure him she was fine. The man made a move as if he wanted to stand up, but Kagome shook her head. "Sit!"

She felt Inuyasha's youki flare just a second before the tip of a huge iron fang pierced the roof of the carriage missing the man's head by a half of a meter. The man grew pale as his eyes focused on the weapon, then he sank to his seat in complete silence. The sword was removed before the man sat and the carriage shook again when the fight moved away from its roof. Kagome sighed in relief - everyone was relatively safe. She looked at her companions - the man was staring up and trying to breathe, the little girl was pressed in the lady's side with her arms wrapped around her middle, the woman was sitting with her back straight, tense and with her hands curled in fists in her lap, her eyes trained at the hole in the roof.

"Lady miko... what was that?" she breathed out, her voice laced with shock and fear.

'Oh, it was just Tessaiga, a youkai blade of my friend, the forest spirit.' Kagome herself was shocked and at the same time relieved that the man wasn't hurt - from her angle it had looked like the sword was just in front of his face. 'I should probably try to at least make them feel safer...' she thought, feeling sympathy for them. They had probably spend a while listening to the youkai fighting their fallen companions. Still, a part of her found the expression of horror and shock on his face a little amusing.

"It was my friend's sword. Have no fear," she managed to say in her best calming voice and took a few breaths to get herself under control. "The youkai won't hurt you, promise. It will be dead soon."

All three of them relaxed a little and breathed out in relief, even if the man was still sickly pale. Kagome offered the little girl a warm smile. Inuyasha was out there and even if Kagome was worried about him she knew he would win. There was no way this youkai could defeat the forest spirit. There was no reason to be afraid, they just had to wait a little. She had the comfort of her faith in her friend to remain calm, but the others didn't, so she decided to make them focus on something different than the sounds from the outside.

"So, are you all right? I can take care of your wounds... Or not, I've lost my basket," she looked around and saw that her supplies were missing. Some priestesses could heal with their power, but Kagome doubted she was able to do that. Luckily the woman shook her head.

"We are not injured, miko," she assured her, her voice almost swallowed in a horrible shriek of pain from outside. Kagome jumped to her feet and almost made it to leave the carriage, but the sound stopped abruptly. "Lady miko?"

"I guess it's safe to leave now, but let me make sure first," Kagome said, letting her senses scan the area around her. As she approached the door she felt a distinct aura just behind the wood and she immediately lost her concentration. With a smile Kagome jumped off the crowded space and out into the snow-covered forest. The young miko looked around, noticing the youkai's remains partially hidden behind the carriage. She was grateful she didn't have to come closer to it and inspect if it was really dead. "It's okay, you can come out," she said as she turned her head to look inside. Then she walked slowly to the tree trunk laying across the road.

Kagome smiled when she saw Inuyasha sitting on the trunk and licking a shallow claw wound on his forearm.

"So you're safe," he said. The young miko nodded. She wanted to ask about his wound, but noticed his eyes look behind her. The lady and the girl were standing close to the carriage, staring in horror at the bodies on the ground. The man jumped off the vehicle and looked at Kagome. His eyes, too, widened in terror and shock, but it was not a reaction to his dead companions.

"Hurry, miko! Kill it!" he exclaimed, pointing a finger at Inuyasha and earning the attention of his female companions, who grabbed each other, growing pale and tensing in preparation for the supernatural being's actions. The young healer felt a little guilty, she had told them it was safe to leave the carriage and they now were both terrified and shocked by what was waiting outside. She probably should have told them that her friend was a youkai.

"It?" Inuyasha growled out, his ears lowering. Kagome realized there was no time to think about what was already done. She quickly stepped between the two males - it wouldn't stop Inuyasha for leaping at the human, but she wanted them both see she wouldn't stand idly and watch them fight. It was also an expression of trust since she was facing the humans, her back to the growling hanyou as she lifted her hands in a calming motion.

"It's alright, my lord, it's not an evil youkai. It's the spirit of this forest. He killed the monster," she explained. Now in the daylight she could see how fine were the robes of the humans in front of her. The hilt of the katana the man was wearing on his hip was adorned with jewels, the female had a simple, yet elegant jewelry. It dawned on her they had to be of noble blood. It was better to treat them with respect, even if they weren't of great importance (she doubted it, their escort was too small, and no great lord had any business crossing Inuyasha's Forest) noblemen liked to make sure simple folk knew about the social gap between them.

But their social status was not the most important thing right now, Kagome realized that as soon as the woman looked away from Inuyasha to observe the beheaded warrior. She pulled the girl closer to herself as if trying to shield her from the image. The expression on the females' faces told Kagome they probably had never seen any people killed by a youkai - which wouldn't be surprising if they were living in heavily guarded palaces in areas where youkai were venturing rarely. 'We need to take them to the village, they need shelter and warm food,' Kagome decided and turned her head to the side to look at Inuyasha, who left his spot and landed lightly beside her. His fast movement didn't help to calm the humans, but one glance at him told her he didn't care. She offered the survivors a gentle, reassuring smile before speaking to the forest spirit.

"We must take them to the village, Inuyasha," she said and received a grunt of agreement before the hanyou turned around and started to push the trunk off the road. "This is Inuyasha and I am Kagome," she said, deciding that introducing themselves would be an ordinary enough thing to help the survivors relax and focus on something besides than the bodies of their fallen companions. The man straightened his back, obviously doing his best to look more like a noble man and less like a scared travellers after a youkai attack.

"I am Lord Namoya Aki, this is my sister Lady Hitomi and our cousin Hikari," he said while nodding in the direction of the females. The Lady Hitomi bowed gracefully, but not too deep, just enough to show her respect for the miko. Her young cousin follwed her lead, her eyes glued to the gentle smile on the miko's face when she resumed her hold on folds of the lady's robe.

"We are thankful for you help, miko Kagome," the woman said with a very small smile. "And to the forest spirit," she added after a second, glancing at Inuyasha, who seemingly effortlessly pushed the huge tree to the side of the road. The only acknowledgement of her gratitude the lady got was a flick of an ear. Then Inuyasha crossed his arms above his chest, scanned the battlefield with his eyes and turned on his heel, walking in the direction of the village. Kagome smiled inwardly, he was acting much like a wary dog, unwilling to get close to strangers, even if he was helping them. 'Keeping your mysterious forest spirit act, eh?'

"Come, my ord, ladies," Kagome offered with a small bow of her own. "My village is nearby. You'll be safe there." She hesitated, not sure if she should tell them she was still training, but decided it would be revealed later. People were more inclined to trust and follow a fully trained miko than a girl who had yet to finish training. Besides it wasn't important right now. She looked back at the fallen men and prayed silently for the peace of their souls. She would have to ask the headman to send a wagon to collect their bodies and bring the carriage to the village.

Twenty minutes later she was walking in the direction of the village, the lady at her left, the lord at her right side, the girl walking close to her female cousin, following her like a silent shadow. To Kagome's surprise Inuyasha had not left them. He was actually leading them back to the village. 'He told me he wanted to make sure we made it there,' she thought, looking at the hanyou marching a few meters before them. The lady and the girl seemed to be a little better now, after leaving the place where their escort had been killed. Kagome was glad they were appearing less pale and their eyes were less frightened. Still, she was sure it would be a while before they'd really feel better - she could remember the first time she had seen people killed in a youkai attack.

While Hikari had not spoken a word yet the lady had spoken a few times, answering Kagome's kind questions with short sentences. To Kagome's annoyance she was paying far more attention to the swaying silver mane of hair in front of them than the polite conversation with the miko walking beside her. 'And I just wanted to make her focus on something mundane!' Kagome thought when the lady once again replied in kind but short words before falling silent, her eyes wandering back to Inuyasha's twitching ears. It was a good thing her cousin was holding her hand, because otherwise she could have tripped on the snow on the road. 'I'd like to know what she's thinking about. Is she reliving the incident on the road? Or is she thinking about Inuyasha? Is this fear or awe in her eyes?'

Lord Aki in contrast to his sister was a talkative one. As soon as they put some distance between the carriage and themselves (even if at first he had been reluctant to leave his luggage) he relaxed entirely and started to talk. Kagome was practically flooded by his words, very polite and quite fancy. He was expressing how it was like a romantic adventure, that the gods themselves sent a beautiful miko to save them, that he was going to visit the village shrine to give the land god an offering his thanks... Kagome was trying to control her blush and tell him that it had been Inuyasha who had done the whole saving part, but he just stared to praise her for being so humble. Kagome wasn't sure what she should do. She was getting compliments, especially not from young men.

A part of her wanted to grab Inuyasha and run away, telling the trio to follow the road by themselves. And, judging by Inuyasha's twitching ears, he wasn't pleased to listen to the lord and be stared at by the lady either. He was keeping quiet, but Kagome could sense his youki swirling around him in a display of anger only she could witness. She was curious why he was still with them when the humans were making him so angry.

"I am flattered, my lord, but I am not really a strong miko," Kagome replied to another compliment. The man looked at her with wide eyes, his polite smile changing in an expression of surprise.

"No? But you control the youkai," he glanced at the red clad person in front of them. The person's ears folded back in annoyance.

"Oh, no, I don't, my lord," Kagome chuckled. "I'd never try to control my dear friend. He's protecting this forest for centuries, it even bears his name. Me, a mere young woman, would never have enough power to control him, even if I wanted to, which I don't."

"Damn right, miko," snorted Inuyasha, his ears perking up again, then he glared back at the lord. he sniffed the air. before cringing and turning his head away. The lady paled and turned to Kagome.

"Is... is he dangerous?" she whispered. This was the first time she had spoken without being asked a question. The young miko knew the woman was probably thinking about the recent attack she had suffered, but couldn't stop herself from replying truthfully.

"Who, Inuyasha?" Kagome blinked. "Of course. But don't worry, as long as you obey the laws of the forest and don't anger him he won't hurt you. Right, forest spirit?"

"Feh!"

Kagome offered the woman a warm smile and tried to keep the mishiefmischief from her eyes. A part of her felt amused at people fearing Inuyasha since she herself couldn't be afraid of him. She knew that they didn't know him like she did. They had not seen him flashing a smile, playing with pups, chasing Shippou or just being lazy. For the rest of the world he was a glimpse of red and white between trees, the spirit of the forest who was capable of saving and destroying, who didn't look like an approachable person. She felt special because he let her see the other side of himself. He was no longer a mysterious supernatural being, not a dangerous youkai one should fear. He was Inuyasha.

Despite her reassurance the lady seemed to be tenser now. She was observing Inuyasha with less awe, but with an expression of prey watching a predator. And she returned to being quiet. Luckily the lord was deep in his thoughts for now, so Kagome could focus on her own musings. She was wondering what type of a mononoke the attacker had been, why it had been so deep in Inuyasha's Forest and why the noblemen were travelling through Inuyasha's domain. Could it be possible the monster had been sent to kill them? Or could it be just a coincidence? She looked at the three strangers - they didn't look any special to her, beside of being of a higher class.

She was so deep in thought she almost ran into the forest spirit who had stopped in the middle of the road. She took a step back to steady herself, the lady gasping in shock and looking between Kagome and the man in red, her cousin hiding behind her while the lord moved more to the side as if to get out of the way of whoever would move now. Inuyasha's ear swiveled back.

"Sorry," Kagome adjusted her hold on the basket she was holding. "What's wrong?"

"Edge of the forest, wench. Take them to the village and make sure the fox stays away from trouble while I'm backtracking the youkai." He glanced back at them, giving a small smirk at them.. "Think you can manage it?"

"Just go," Kagome waved a hand at him and in a flash of red he was gone. She looked at the humans around her. "Come, I am sure the headman can provide you with the best quarters in our village. It's humble, but safe."

o0o

It was dark when Kagome sat down by the fire pit in her home, holding a bowl of rice. She let out a long sigh, glad she was finally free and could simply enjoy her meal and the silence.

She had led the survivors to the headman's house, hoping to just leave them to him. She had told the headman, his wife and Kaede about the events of this morning and had asked the headman to send a group of men to retrieve the bodies and the carriage. The lady seconded her request.

She had ended up going with the men who had been too scared to go by themselves. Kagome chewed on a piece of fish thinking about the trip back to the battlefield. 'They felt better because even if I am weak I am a miko,' she thought. It was a little new to her to be a source of reassure for the village folk. Not too long ago she had been the one wanted to stay too close to for fear of her curse - some still were like this. The men were well aware she wouldn't stand a chance against most youkai - it was no secret her spiritual powers were much weaker than Kaede's. 'But maybe they thought I can summon Inuyasha? He can take down practically any opponent...' she mused and reached her chopsticks for another piece of fish. She smiled a little when she remembered the looks on the men's faces when they had seen the thick trunk moved to the side of the road and when she had told him Inuyasha had did it with ease.

When she came back she was attending to cleaning and preparing the bodies for the burial - a grim task, but one a miko had to perform. Luckily it didn't take very long, considering the nature of their demise. She had other chores to do, but she managed to finish them quickly with a little help from a lively fox youkai child. Shippou was already dozing off in a corner, curled in a ball and holding his fluffy tail to his chest like a blanket. Kagome smiled as she looked at him - he stayed near her almost all the time she was in the village, usually perched on her shoulder and asking questions on which she could focus. She was really pleased he was staying with them, even if just for the night.

A gust of cold wind caught her attention and Kagome turned her head to see her mother enter the hut. She quickly stood up to prepare supper for the old miko and laid it before the woman when she sat by the fire.

"How is it, mother?" she asked.

"It looks like you saved the bride of a lord's son," Kaede smiled lightly when Kagome gasped. "According to the young lord's words he's escorting his sister to her future husband's palace so she can marry a son of that lord and form an alliance between their families."

"But... but..." Kagome's thoughts ran to the lovely, but quiet young woman and the few amount of soldiers guarding her. "Should her escort not be bigger? And should she not travel with more... expensive attire and stuff?"

"They wanted to keep their journey a secret because they feared an enemy of their clan would attack them and kidnap the young lady," Kaede said as she picked up her chopsticks.

"And they got attacked on the road." Kagome glanced to the entryway. "Do you think their enemy sent that youkai?"

"It's possible. I put a barrier around the headman's house for now, so they can't be detected by any mononoke." Kaede closed her one eye for a moment before starting to eat. "Tomorrow they will be leaving. They bought a pair of horses from the headman."

"I see," Kagome sighed. "I am glad we managed to get there in time. They had ofudas around the carriage, but would be trapped inside..." She shivered when she remembered the youkai. Being confined in the small, dark place, knowing a beast was waiting outside to rip them to pieces... No wonder they had pulled her in so eagerly - she had been like a rope for a drowning man to them, a chance of rescue.

She could only imagine how they had felt. It was no wonder the girl was too scared to even speak and that the lady was wary of Inuyasha. She was on her way to start a new life as a wife of a lord. Being attacked by a monster on her way to her future husband's home wasn't a good omen. Still, they would leave the village and go to the place of their destination to fulfil their fate. As much as Kagome felt sympathy for the young lady and the child she knew that rescuing them and offering them shelter was all they could offer. For some reason she felt much less sympathy for the lord who had been giving her funny looks since the moment she had admitted she wasn't a strong miko.

"Did you see the forest spirit?" Kagome lifted her head when Kaede asked that, then shook it. "I see. He came to the headman's house not too long ago and I was sure he would come see you after talking... or rather barking... to us." Kaede chuckled lightly when her daughter blushed at her words. Then both mikos froze as they heard an odd sound coming from the roof. They lifted their heads and focused their senses. Kaede's mirth returned in a quiet chuckle yet again before Kagome managed to sense and recognize a familiar youki. "So he did come to you!"

"Mother!" Kagome couldn't stop herself from smiling a little, but then looked up again, deciding to change the subject. "They lost all their guards, mother. What they're going to do?"

"That isn't our problem, it's for them and the headman to decide. They can hire our huntsmen if they want to." Kaede shrugged. "The palace they are travelling to is three days away from our village, beyond the borders of Inuyasha's Forest. From what the forest spirit told us their enemy had promised the youkai the forest as a payment for killing them - he was obviously not aware that the forest spirit is alive again. It is likely there won't be more youkai after them."

Kagome gave a nod and returned to her food. She stole a glance upwards, but there was no sound coming from the roof. A small check with her spiritual powers told her that the hanyou was still there, but for some reason he was determined to stay on the top of the roof and not inside, where it was warm. When she had finished her meal and wrapped herself in her blanket she thought it was as if he was watching over the whole village from his high spot. It made her smile softly before she fell asleep. For all she knew it would be the first night in his life he spent in the human village.


	20. A Monster in the Forest

Summary: More monsters appear in Inuyasha's Forest - will the forest spirit get rid of them before someone gets harmed?  
A/N: Hope everyone had happy time during the holidays and the New Year. I think mine was decent - I survived all holidays and guests. You won't believe me, but I was sure I'd posted this chapter before Christmas, like I planned, but then I realized that nope. Sorry, guys! ~flees for her life~

TW: Rape attempt (nothing graphic, so the rating of the whole fic stays T. at least for now)  
Song: Remedy - Adele  
Beta: Inkjelly and sunshineisdelicious

* * *

 **A** Monster in the Forest

Kagome took a deep breath and laid her hand against the bark of the Sacred Tre.

"It's such a nice day," she said to herself and made a quick work of tying a small bag containing a single but big treat for the forest spirit to a low hanging branch. When she had woken up this morning he had been already gone, but Shippou had been keeping her company almost all the time she had been around the house. He was still unwilling to approach the villagers, but it seemed he was not afraid of Kaede. The young miko smiled when she remembered seeing the small kitsune climbing up the shelves to fetch a jar for the old woman. Kagome was hoping with a little coaxing she could make him approach the village children - at least some of them would be more curious than scared of the trickster kitsune and his magic. 'Slowly, Kagome, slowly, maybe you will manage to make the villagers and the guardians of the forest be more friendly towards each other.'

The miko smiled and looked once more up to the branches of the Tree of Ages before turning around and walking in the direction of a meadow where she could find the roots she needed for a potion. The winter was not as rough as it could be, but still a few villagers got sick and Kagome was pleased to see that all of them wanted her to treat them, not bearing any signs of hate. But maybe there was no excuse to be happy - they were members of families who already had shown signs of warming up to her before. Still, Kagome was glad she could do her work and not worry about people refusing her help because of their stupidity and fear of her 'curse'.

As she was walking through the forest she let her thoughts wander. The Lord Namoya and his female companions were still in the village because the lady had felt really unwell - Kaede had advised for them to stay one day longer so she could rest before resuming their journey. Little Hikari was at her side, reluctant to leave her older cousin or talk to other children. Kagome didn't know where the lord had went and honestly she didn't care. One day of hus flattery and endless chatter was enough for her. The young healer was glad she could be alone and wander through her beloved forest. 'I'm starting to resemble Inuyasha,' she chuckled to herself. The forest spirit wasn't a man of many words, but his words were priceless. He was avoided lying and his compliments were rare, but sincere.

The woods were particularly serene this afternoon, covered in light and shadow from the small clouds obscuring the sun from time to time. Wild animals were making noises in the distance while traveling down their paths, the air was fresh and full of scents she associated with a certain hanyou, the pine tree smell dominating the air. She entered the meadow where the plants she was looking for were growing, and quickly set to work. While digging in snow and dirt under a plant she scanned the area, but to her displeasure there was no sign of the forest spirit nearby. He was probably on a patrol of his territory. 'He can be also gone to one of the other villages in his forest,' she mused while digging out a piece of the root she needed for her potion. 'I hope I'll have a chance to go to the market the next week, there are things I need to buy...'

She was making a mental list of things to buy when she suddenly felt like something was beeing wached. Kagome focused her spiritual powers and scanned around her, but there was no youkai around. She frowned and straightened her back, looking around. There was no sign of a wild animal who would be observing her. All of them had left while she had been doing her first scan, probably uncomfortable around a miko's power.

She took a few deep breaths and quickly finished her work. The feeling didn't go away and she found herself regretting not taking Shippou with her. At the same time the logical part of her mind was mocking her for feeling nervous - this was Inuyasha's Forest and she had never felt afraid here, unless there was a real threat to her life.

Kagome started back through the forest quickly, sparing glances to the sides, not admiring the beauty of the woods, but looking for movement and signs of whoever who was observing her. The feeling would fade sometimes, just to reappear when she relaxed a moment later. She was sure it wasn't the forest spirit, nor one of his dogs - none of them would stay away to stalk her creepily. They would at least show themselves, even if they wouldn't approach her. She was nearing the meadow of the Sacred Tree, tension leaving her upon seeing the familiar bark of the ancient tree, marred by the scar where the forest spirit had been sealed.

"Miko Kagome, what a pleasant surprise!" exclaimed a voice from the meadow.

Kagome stopped in her tracks when she saw Lord Namoya standing beside the Tree of Ages. He offered her a wide smile. "What made you leave the village and deny us the pleasure of seeing your lovely face?"

"I... um, I was harvesting roots for healing potion, my lord," the miko replied and approached the lord in a much slower pace, the unsettling feeling of being observed seemed to vanish a minute ago. "Why are you so far from the village, my lord? Mother told you not to leave her barrier. It's dangerous out there."

"I was worried about your safety, lovely lady." The man smiled and gestured around them. "Alone in woods full of mononoke, a fair maiden with no fighting abilities can be an easy prey. I wouldn't never forgive myself if..."

"I am perfectly safe in this forest, my lord, don't worry," she assured the man while shaking her head. He had a point - she would probably be an easy target, but not that close to the village and Inuyasha's den. There was no chance of a rogue youkai in close proximity to this place. He gave her a doubting look.

"It must be so hard for you, working so much. A rare bird like you should be kept in a palace, cherished and clad in finest silks, not those lowly robes," he said and adjusted the mantle around him. "It pains my heart to see a beautiful maiden dirty her hands."

"I don't mind," Kagome said. "I like what I'm doing. Come, we should return to the village before the sun starts to set. I have villagers I need to take care of."

"So," the lord said, letting her lead the way. Kagome was surprised he wasn't walking in front of her, but maybe he didn't remember the way and didn't want to make a fool of himself. She just shrugged and walked out of the meadow. "If a handsome and wealthy lord were to come and offer you an escape from this village forgotten by gods and men alike and asl you to become his beloved mistress you would...?"

"Refuse, of course." Kagome found the idea amusing. Being a miko was much better than being the mistress of a lord. Mikos, even weak ones, were free women, not dependent on their lovers and masters. "Such things are stuff from silly songs and tales, my lord."

"It can be real, beautiful bird," Lord Namoya assured her. "I pity you, a fair maiden pushed to work and living in constant fear of youkai in a forest while your place clearly is in a palace, with a fan in your delicate hands and with a powerful lord loving you for your stunning beauty. I want to be that lord, sweet bird. Let me take you to my mansion where you will know no fear, no hunger and no obligation other than sharing my bed."

"I am a miko, my lord," Kagome said, her voice cold as she glanced back at the man. "And it is not usual for mikos to get married or have lovers. I don't intend to follow that path, especially not for a man I don't know and love."

"I see," the lord sighed. "It's a pity. I really hoped it could have been a lasting lasting relationship."

"My lord, there ne-" She felt an arm wrap around her, pulling her back against the man, a hand coming to cover her mouth before she could cry out in surprise. Kagome dropped her bag and tried to free herself, anger and fear rising in her heart, simultaneously causing her blood to boil and freeze.

"I heard from the villagers you aren't such a great miko, my bird," he said in a soft voice, his breath warming her ear and neck and he held the struggling girl with surprising strength. "Definitely not possessing much spiritual power. You would never be a real miko able to purify a youkai. So there will be no real loss if you lose your powers and become my mistress. You will be happy, pretty bird."

Kagome bit his hand and when he cried out in pain she tried to free herself. She succeeded partially, but he managed to tug at her mantle and she stumbled over some root hidden in the snow.

"Inuy-!" a fist hit the side of her head and Kagome tumbled to the snow-covered ground, dizzy but rolling to escape the man. She took another breath to cry, but an elbow was pressed against her throat and a heavy weight fell on her when the man pushed her against the uneven ground, rendering her immobile. She heard a choked noise which came from her mouth. Her hands immediately flew to the arm preventing her from taking another breath. The pressure lessened and she wheezed, cold air filling her lungs. "Let go of me!"

'Stop struggling," the man hissed and pressed her harder against the ground. She was kicking and hitting, but the folds of their thick clothes were slowing her down and absorbing the strength of her kicks. She dug her nails into his cheek when he leaned close to her face and got herself another hit to the head.

"You had a wonderful chance, Kagome," the lord growled. "But it looks like you're the most stupid woman I've ever met." He grabbed her hands and pinned them above her head. "A common wench like you should be happy a noble lord like me took interest in her body. After all, it's all women are good for."

Kagome blinked away the tears running down her cheeks, struggling to catch her breath and focus her eyes. She hit his side with her knee, earning a grunt from the man.

"Let me go! Inuyasha!"

"We're quite lucky we're in this part of the forest," the man moved up to tie her wrists, still resting his weight on her, pressing the air out of her lungs and avoiding her kicks. "When they find you they'll think the dog beast killed you."

The thought that the lord was going to hurt her and blame Inuyasha made her blood freeze and helped her to find new strength. She managed to kick him again, her knee coming in contact with his hip and knocked him away. The miko pulled her hands down to protect herself when she saw him lifting his hand to hit her again. She had no chance of moving away quick enough to avoid it, but still she tried to at least protect her head.

But the hit never came.

Suddenly the lord was gone and she was free to roll away. She immediately did just that, thanking the gods for whatever made the man move away from her. Now she had to use this moment of freedom to get up and run away before he could attack her.

Kagome got to her knees and elbows, trying to loosen the piece of rope tied around her wrists. She lifted her head when she heard a thud a moment later - it was the lord impacting the ground on the other side of the meadow. Then she heard a sound - barely audible through the sound of her blood in her ears - a growl much lower than a human could produce. It was a melody much more beautiful than any other she knew. She looked behind herself and saw the forest spirit snarling at the man who was struggling to get up, groaning.

"Run," Inuyasha ordered the man when he stood up from the place he had landed. The lord scowled at the hanyou standing near the crying girl. He reached between folds of his clothing and pulled out a slip of paper. "You don't deserve to die fast."

"Why should I when I can subdue you, youkai?" Aki said and showed him the paper in his outstretched hand. Kagome gasped when she saw it, but Inuyasha leapt forward, his claws swiping at the ofuda. The lord cried in pain and pulled his hand against his chest while shreds of paper and severed fingers fell to the ground under his feet.

"It's no fun tearing apart a prey that won't run," Inuyasha growled while flexing his claws. "And that's exactly what's going to happen to ya." This time the man turned around and fled the glade. Inuyasha's growl silenced when he spun around and looked at Kagome, still kneeling in the same spot, her hands twisted awkwardly from trying to loosen the rope.

"Inuyasha..." she breathed out and attempted to stand up, but her mantle was twisted around her and she couldn't find enough strength in herself to move, looking at him miserably. Her body started to shake when she saw him lift his head and let loose a howl, a hunting call - yet another sound a human couldn't make and another sound she loved. But it didn't make her smile this time. It meant he was going to follow his prey, that she would be alone. "D-don't go! Don't leave me here!" she cried, reaching for him as if she could grab him by his hand and keep him close.

Before she could finish the second sentence the forest spirit was crouching in front of her. His claws - still covered in blood - sliced the rope around her wrists and she felt his warm fingers touch her cold hands with unusual tenderness. She gazed up from their hands to his yellow eyes and swallowed a sob, bitting her lip to control herself.

"Kagome, are you...?" she didn't let him finish, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hid her face in the warm red fabric covering his chest. She felt him tense, but didn't care. "Did he hurt you?" he tried again, but all he got was her sobbing and shaking asthe adrenaline left her, fear for what might have happened filling its place. It all had happened so fast, but now her imagination had enough time to produce various scenarios, all of them awful. "Oi, don't cry... It's okay..." he awkwardly patted her back, as if unsure it was what he should do.

Kagome just shook her head, pushing closer against the rough fabric of his robe. When he got no answer Inuyasha growled in irritation and bent his head and started sniffing her cheek and neck. She shivered when puffs of hot air brushed against her damp skin. Still, she didn't move away, knowing she could trust her friend.

"Come, wench." The hanyou attempted to stand up, but since she didn't follow his lead he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up with him. She didn't feel afraid of being held by the forest spirit, even after what had transpired in the meadow minutes ago. "I need to take you to your home and go hunting."

The young miko's arms tightened around his neck.

"D-don't leave me alone," slipped out of her mouth before she realized what she was saying. The hanyou tensed and for a long minute just stood there, holding her close. It helped her to calm down a little, enough to make her stop crying.

"Listen, we- Kagome," he grumbled and reached up to remove her arms from around his neck. "I'm taking you home and them I'm going to deal with that bastard. You ain't gonna see that. I ain't plannin' to leave much for his kin to bury."

Kagome took a deep breath and wiped her tears, silently grateful that he was still holding her close. "You can't kill a lord," she muttered. Half of her was thankful for his declaration, but the other part was scared he would follow it with actions.

"Of course I can, I'm a fucking youkai." Inuyasha gave her a cocky smirk. He bent down and picked up the discarded bag of roots before pushing it in her arms. She noticed that even if he was speaking uncharacteristically gently and moving in a non-threatening manner his eyes remained firm and his scowl was deeper than ever. Still, she immediately attached herself to his arm when he started to walk in the direction of the village. The forest spirit gave her a concerned look before grunting and letting her hold onto his sleeve. She was using all her willpower to keep her imagination in check and not bring back the memory of the attack.

When they reached the edge of the forest Kagome was no longer shaking and holding Inuyasha's arm in an iron grip, but she was still trying to stay close to him. She was uncertain about what to do. She was going to tell everything to her mother, but there was not much they could do against a lord. She was thankful that Inuyasha had come to save her and that he was walking her home - she wasn't sure what she'd have done if he had decided to chase after the man. She was still afraid he would go after him and kill the man. Who would believe that he had done it as a punishment for the lord's doings and not because he lusted for blood of a human? Inuyasha had been known to be violent before his sealing, but he had rarely killed humans after his awakening, usually only wounding them. 'What would happen if he killed the lord?' Kagome wondered while they were entering the village, a few people observing them curiously. 'Would his family seek revenge against our village and Inuyasha?' She didn't want to be a reason for other people's pain. 'I must talk to mother, tell her everything. She will know what to do... and I just must keep Inuyasha from hunting down the lord before I can get mother's opinion...' she thought, gripping Inuyasha's sleeve more tightly.

She was trying to focus her thoughts on this subject to prevent herself from reliving her encounter with the lord. She could still feel her knees go weak at the memory - her warm mantle restricting her movements, the heavy weight of the man who was blatantly telling her he was going to kill her after hurting her, the pain... Her head was still hurting and she was sure there were bruises forming under the cloth wrapped around her head and neck She scooted even closer to the forest spirit. He was part youkai, rude, gruff and bad tempered, but in her opinion he was a much better man than a spoiled lords who thought women were good only for one thing and were disposable, stupid things easy to bribe with a few pretty words or intimidate with a few hits.

Her thoughts went to the lady and her young ward. 'Was the lord treating them that way too while no one was watching? Maybe that was why the girl refused to speak and the lady was so quiet and distant.'

"Kagome!" A happy voice brought her out from her musings and when she looked forward she saw Shippou running through the village, his little paws moving so fast it was hard to see them. The kitsune came to an abrupt halt when the forest spirit let loose a warning growl.

"Calm down, Inuyasha, it's just Shippou," Kagome said and walked forward to greet the child. She missed the wary look Inuyasha sent around, watching all the humans in the close proximity for any signs of disgust, fear or hate. The hanyou relaxed a little when he saw that people who were nearby were looking at them with curiosity and a bit of anxiety but no real hate.

"Kaede said you would come back soon, with the medical roots," the fox said to Kagome and he quickly jumped to sit on her shoulder. "And you found Inuyasha, too."

"That I did." Kagome turned her head to look at the hanyou who motioned for her to start walking. She decided not to tell Shippou how exactly she had met up with the forest spirit. The distraction the small fox was providing was a real blessing. "Let's carry the herbs to my mother, okay?"

Shippou nodded eagerly and Kagome started to walk down the road, heading in the direction of her home, the spirit of the forest following her like a white and red shadow, his arms crossed and hidden in his sleeves. She suspected he still felt anxious walking through the village like this, but she was glad he was doing it. She practically could sense him tense when near the steps to the shrine a teenage boy came to ask her if she could come to see his sick mother later.

Kagome finished talking to the boy, promising to see his mother when she had the medicine for her prepared when she felt Inuyasha's youki rise. She turned around, worry in her eyes. Whatever was bothering the hanyou wasn't in close proximity because nothing in the immediate area was abnormal. When Inuyasha spun on his heels to face the direction they had come from she heard a faint scream.

"Help! Youkai!" She saw a man running out of the forest, stumbling through the snow while he was trying to reach the safety of the village.

"That bastard!" Inuyasha growled and in one fluid motion unsheathed his sword and leapt forward, the blade transforming in a burst of light.

"Inuyasha!" she called after him. Shippou gave her a surprised look because there was no encouragement, no hope in her voice, only fear and distress. 'Don't go!'

The fleeing and screaming man was the Lord Namoya Aki and Kagome highly doubted the forest spirit was going to rescue him.

Shippou clung to Kagome's shoulder when the girl hesitated. She really wanted to run after Inuyasha, but at the same time she didn't want to get close to the man who had attacked her. The choice was made for her before she could move in any direction.

A youkai, much similar in shape to the one who had attacked the carriage the previous day, but bigger, appeared on the edge of the forest. Kagome heard the villagers cry in alarm and their voices were muffled to her, as if coming from a far distance. She started to first walk, then run, following Inuyasha's trail. She saw the youkai reach the fleeing human and tear his head off, silencing his frightened screams forever.

"You bastard!" she heard Inuyasha roar in rage. "He was mine!"

Kagome gasped when she saw the youkai throw the dead human to the ground and lift its head. The next second Inuyasha was upon it, his sword pulsing with energy Kagome could feel from the outskirts of the village. She stopped just as she passed the last buildings, reaching a small group of villagers standing there and gripping various working tools. They seemed uncertain what to do now - the fleeing human was dead and the forest spirit seemed to have a handle on the situation. Kagome looked around her and saw shock, awe and fear clear on their faces.

Kagome couldn't look away from the fight. Her gaze was following Tessaiga's blade as it was cutting and piercing the youkai, Inuyasha practically dancing around his much bigger opponent. The youkai let out a roar of annoyance and pain and swept its claws at the hanyou who cut its arm off instead of dodging the attack. More blood colored the snow under their feet when Inuyasha slashed across the youkai's belly. When the youkai stumbled forward, Tessaiga came to sever its head off its shoulders. The hanyou walked past the falling youkai and walked to where the dead lord was. He glared in the direction of the village, eliciting a few fearful gasps from the onlookers, before he wiped the blade with the kimono of the man.

"Poor young lord..."

"It's a shame that the forest spirit didn't save him in time..."

"Why was he outside of lady Kaede's barrier anyway...?"

Kagome could hear people around her whisper. No one dared to approach. Kagome took a deep breath and tried to sort her emotions. All of this happened so fast. 'Is it bad of me to be grateful that Inuyasha didn't reach the lord in time? I'm almost sure he was going to at least hurt him... Is it wrong to feel relieved that that man won't hurt me or any other girl?' She still felt sad for the dead man, just not as sad as she would be if he had not attacked her. He was a human... He deserved punishment, but not death...

She felt Shippou shift on her shoulder and sniff her hair.

"Don't be worried," he whispered. "Inuyasha won't let beasts like this roam through his forest."

'I'm not worried about that...' Kagome thought and closed her eyes. She opened them when she heard gasps behind her. Inuyasha was walking back to her, his sword sheathed at his side. He was scowling right at her.

"Inuyasha..." she breathed out and saw his ears twitch.

"You need to go home," he said quietly when he reached her. "The rest of you can take care of the mess.

o0o

Kagome was walking behind her mother down a short corridor in the headman's house. Kaede was walking in silence, but Kagome could sense the old woman was calm and collected, as always. No matter what the fate would throw Kaede's way she always acted like a real miko should - with patience, using her authority and knowledge to bring peace Kagome knew her mother felt sad for the dead lord, but didn't feel guilty for his fate - after all it was his own choice to leave the barrier the old miko had created.

Kagome wasn't sure what she felt. She wanted to feel like Kaede, but there were other emotions - lingering fear, disgust, guilt. She clenched her fists and took a few deep breaths. She had to be calm and try to focus on the present. What was done was done, The lord was gone. And now she was going to see his relatives. She regretted that there was no time to talk to her mother, to ask her for her advice, tell her all about what had happened and why. But with all the villagers frightened by the attack and the preparations for yet another burial there was barely even any time to put some ointment on her bruises.

She reached into a hidden pocket in her sleeve and touched a strand of hair. She didn't have to look at it - the feel of the silky hair was enough to help her compose herself. She had snuck behind a certain hanyou and had cut it from his head while he had been distracted by the scared villagers. He was gone now, patrolling the forest near the village, but she felt better while touching his hair, sensing the faint youki radiating off the strand. It made her fears disappear and her muscles relaxed a little while she was stroking it.

Kaede slid open the door to the room where lady Hitomi and Hikari were, the former laying in a futon, the latter kneeling at her side. There was a small fire going in the fire pit in the center of the room and a few bags were stored in one corner. Both occupants of the room looked up at the mikos.

"My ladies, we're terribly sorry to inform you, but Lord Namoya was killed by a youkai," the old woman said with a bow after entering the room. The silent girl bowed her head, her older cousin just nodded. She was paler than earlier, but appeared calm.

"The headman's wife told us already," the lady said and motioned for the mikos to sit down. "Please, sit with us. I appreciate your help and don't blame you for his death. After all he knew not to leave the barrier you provided, lady miko."

Kaede sighed when she sat beside the fire pit. The sigh was partially because she felt tired and partially because she was relieved the lady didn't blame them for her brother's demise. Kagome sat down beside her, still nervous.

"The forest spirit tried to reach him, but he was too late," she offered. She didn't say that the outcome would probably be similar. From what she had heard from Inuyasha he was quite upset the other youkai had taken his prey. 'He didn't hunt the lord down immediately only because he wanted to bring me home first,' she thought and clenched her fists under the cover of her sleeves.

"I told him not to go after you, miko Kagome," said a voice so soft Kagome almost didn't hear the words. The lady looked at her younger cousin and only her movement indicated that Kagome hadn't imagined that. Hikari was looking in the fire. "I told him not to leave the barrier and not to follow you because there are two more and because the forest spirit would behead him, but he didn't listen. He pushed me off his way and went to his death."

Kagome blinked. 'And here I was thinking she's mute!' But then the meaning behind her words registered and she realized that the girl somehow had known what had been going to happen. Kaede leaned a little in the direction of the child.

"Little lady... what do you mean by that?" she asked, but the girl remained quiet and still, tensing a little. Lady Hitomi shook her head, surprise still clear on her pale face.

"She won't say anything more. She saw many things when she was younger and only recently started to talk again, but usually she talks only to me," the noblewoman sighed. "This is why she's in my care, I hope to help her overcome whatever bothers her. I am surprised she spoke to my brother, but I know her warnings are always right. My brother was a fool, sadly."

"This is very noble of you, my lady, to take care of her" Kaede praised honestly and turned her head to look at her daughter. "Kagome, do you know what she meant?"

Kagome swallowed thickly, her fingers going to brush the strand of silver hair stored in her sleeve. She really didn't want to have this conversation here, with the family of the man listening. 'Why couldn't she focus on the girl instead, at least for now? She obviously has some special sense or something,' she groaned in her mind. She looked at her mother who gave her a small nod, encouraging her to speak. Maybe it was right to reveal the truth behind the lord's behavior to his family, but she still felt wrong about talking about it around strangers.

"I... Um..." she dropped her gaze, trying to find the right words. "He... I met him under the Sacred Tree.. He wanted me to... Leave with him..." the lady gasped, but said nothing, Kagome didn't dare to look at her. "I refused and he wanted to... Hurt me. But he didn't. The forest spirit scared him away and brought me home..."

The silence fell in the room and lasted for a long moment. Lady Hitomi took a deep breath, Kagome's shoulders tensed and she clenched her fists, waiting for her reaction. She had just accused a recently deceased member of a noble family of being dishonorable in front of his sister. Kagome prayed she would believe her. She knew her mother did. Kaede moved to sit closer to her and rested her warm hand on her own, rubbing gently.

"I am sorry for my brother's behavior," the lady uttered in a tired tone. "I am glad that the forest spirit saved my family from even greater dishonor and you from that fate." Both mikos looked at the young woman resting under a blanket. She looked pale and upset, but when she saw them looking at her she offered a faint smile. "My brother wasn't the ideal man. He was much closer to the opposite. His womanizing angered our noble father enough to make him appoint Aki as my escort on his way for a temple where he was going to spend three years among Buddhist monks to learn control and discipline. I guess it won't happen now. If I had known I would have done all I could to stop him."

"We understand," Kaede sighed, her hand still on Kagome's. Its familiar warmth was greatly helping the young miko, but when Kaede lifted her hand to rub her forearm the old miko tensed and glanced at Kagome. 'Mother felt the youki,' Kagome realized and covered a certain pocket within her sleeve with her own hand. Kaede offered a small smile. "Well, I think we should leave and let you rest, my lady. I will strengthen the wards around the headman's house, so you do not need to worry about youkai."

"Thank you, lady miko," the noblewoman nodded regally. She spoke again when the priestesses were turning to leave. "Miko Kagome, I have a favor I wish to ask."

o0o

"Damn it all, how did I let myself be dragged into this?" a gruff voice complained loudly above Kagome's head. Kagome looked up, along with two other females. Shippou, who was sitting beside Kagome on a comfy bench of the carriage, didn't bother to look up.

"He's just grumpy because he has to sit on the roof," he said and took an acorn out of his sleeve. He offered it to the silent girl sitting beside her older cousin. "Here, it's for you," the kitsune smiled, unfazed by the girl's silence. Hikari looked at Kagome and when she saw the miko smile she accepted the gift. As soon as she took the acorn it disappeared in a puff of blue smoke and Hikari was holding a bunch of pink flowers. She gasped and smiled at the preening kitsune.

"He did the same the first time we met," Kagome said to the lady and her cousin.

"I am great with magic," Shippou bragged.

"That is for sure. And you are a really cute boy," the lady affirmed and Shippou puffed out his little chest. Kagome smiled. It seemed the little, sweet fox had a way to win everyone's heart. While Shippou was entertaining the ladies with his magic tricks Kagome looked up again to the hastily patched roof of the carriage,

Three hours ago, just after the sunrise, the carriage had left the village, carrying a young lady, her little cousin, a kitsune, a miko in training and the headman's second son. As soon as the vehicle had reached the treeline the forest spirit had joined them - and since that moment he had been sitting on the roof, keeping watch and grumbling. Kagome could imagine him sitting with his legs crossed, his hands hidden in his sleeves, glaring daggers at anything that moved. She felt sorry for Akiro, the headman's son. The boy was probably sweating in fear on the driver's bench, urging the horses to move faster so that whole journey would be over sooner.

"I am thankful that you granted my wish, miko Kagome." Lady Hitomi noticed Kagome's look and smiled at her politely. "Especially after my brother's actions. We feel much safer knowing the divine spirit of this forest and you escort us."

A loud "Feh!" could be heard from above, but Kagome smiled in return.

"It is a honor to be your companion, my lady. I pray our journey is fast and uneventful," she said. "But I must admit I am excited. I've never left my village. I am thankful for this opportunity.

After this both women fell silent, observing Shippou's magic. The kitsune was showing almost all his tricks, changing in small animals - with more or less accuracy - and producing laughing mushrooms, moving origami swans and other things through the air in an effort to make them all  
smile.

A/N: Poor Inu, he didn' have a chance to kill the lord.


	21. Merry Journey

Summary: Kagome and Inuyasha on escorting duty. What can possibly go wrong?

A/N: Hope you have good time and don't get cold. Have fun reading!  
Beta: sunshineisdelicious

* * *

 **Merry Journey**

* * *

It was getting dark quickly. The sun was still up, but the forest was already pretty dark. Akiro would probably have stopped and make camp a while ago, but Inuyasha just growled at him when he had suggested it. Kagome stuck her head out of the carriage and got barked at that it was not a place where Inuyasha wanted to camp and that puny humans should leave campsite-picking to those who can handle it without getting a bunch of youkai attack them. Shippou translated that as Inuyasha said that there was a lair of youkai nearby and they'd get attacked at night. Upon hearing that, Akiro didn't voice his desire to stop for the night again, deciding to trust the forest spirit.

Finally Inuyasha jumped off the carriage and pointed to a hillside on an other side of the road. When Kagome exited the vehicle to look at it she saw there was a cave partially hidden behind trees.

"You females will like it, it has a hot spring on its back," Inuyasha said and crossed his arms in front of his chest, obviously proud of himself. "Go there and wait for me, I'll do a short run."

"Is it safe?" Kagome asked in concern and got an affirmative "Keh!" as an answer before Inuyasha leapt away between the growing shadows of the forest. Akiro looked at the miko standing next to the carriage, apparently waiting for her verdict. She focused and scanned the area for youki before nodding and smiling reassuringly. It seemed there were a few youkai nearby, but nothing seemed to be too close or strong. When she looked at the cave entrance again she saw it had signs of being used by people before. She saw some trees were removed from the close proximity of the cave, preventing anything from sneaking up on resting travelers, but not to the point where there wouldn't be anything to shield the cave from the view. It seemed it could be seen only from a small part of the road.

Soon the horses were tied near the cave entrance, shielded from the wind by the carriage. The lady and her little cousin helped Kagome and Akiro find firewood around the cave, not shying away from work only because of their noble blood. There was a small pile of dry wood stacked by someone inside, but they wanted to make sure they had enough. Their temporary dwelling was quite big. The adults could touch the ceiling with their outstretched hands. It was divided into two caves by a wall of loose stones, leaving a narrow entrance to the back of the complex, where a small hot spring was located. It was not only heating the air in the cave, but also provided a way to quickly warm oneself.

As soon as they had the fire going, thanks to Shippou's kitsune fire, Kagome sent both her female companions to soak in the spring. It was big enough to fit two people and she wanted to start preparing food while they were bathing. Akiro collected clean snow in their pot and kettle, hanging them above the fire to melt while she was busy with rummaging through their bags and taking out of them various items and ingredients.

She yelped and jumped back when a piece of fresh meat dangled in front of her face. The person holding it snickered at her startled look. Kagome glared at the forest spirit standing before her and accepted the skinned result of his 'run'. Inuyasha walked to the nearest wall and sat there, his legs crossed, his hands in his sleeves, the sword resting against his shoulder. As soon as the ladies joined them, Kagome sent Akiro to the spring, figuring out he was more needing it, after hours on the driver's bench. To Kagome's surprise both Hitomi and Hikari tied back their sleeves and started helping with the supper preparations. Shippou was watching the fire, making sure it wasn't too big or too small. She smiled at the serious look on the child's face. He was proud of his responsible duty. He left his post when Akiro returned, moving much less stiffly, to join Kagome in the bath. The boy left her after a few minutes, returning to the fire. Kagome closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of her bath and the quiet noises of her companions talking. It wasn't much - Hikari was quiet as always, Inuyasha was replying to direct questions with an array of grunts. It was up to Shippou and the other pair of humans to lead the conversation and it seemed the talkative kitsune was in his element, telling fox stories and showing off his tricks.

She had entered the main cave while releasing her hair from a high bun when she heard a low growl. Kagome looked at Inuyasha, who was still sitting in the same position, glaring at Hikari standing mere meters from him, her hands lifted as if she was going to outstretch them. The hanyou's ears were tilted back, a scowl on his face.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked the girl, who just looked back at him, longing in her eyes. "You gotta tell me what you want, kid. And it better ain't what I think it is." Inuyasha said gruffly and spared a glance at Kagome approaching the girl's side, the lady kneeling beside Shippou and Akiro squatting by the fire - everyone was looking back at him. His scowl deepened.

"Ears," the girl uttered in a soft voice, causing the said appendages to perk up and twitch. "May I?" she elaborated in the tone full of hope, sounding more like a girl her age for the first time.

"No. Go away," Inuyasha growled back. Hikari's eyes dimmed and she let her hands fall limply at her sides. Kagome looked at her disappointed expression and rested her hand on her shoulder before she could move back. 'Oh, Inuyasha, how can you deny her? She's so sweet and sad, she just wants to touch them... I totally understand her,' the miko thought, determined to help a fellow female get a hold of her friend's fuzzy ears. As if sensing her decision the hanyou plastered his ears against his head and glared at her, but she wasn't afraid of him.

"Come on, Inuyasha," she said softly, smiling at him. "She just wants to touch them..."

"No one touches 'em," was his reply. The girl sighed dejectedly, looking up at Kagome as if to thank her for her effort before returning to her cousin's side. But Kagome didn't remove her hand from her shoulder. The miko frowned when she saw a twinkle of something unusual in Inuyasha;s yellow eyes before they turned away. If she didn't know better she'd call it fear. She tried to coax him into giving up with a gentle tone of voice.

"She won't tug them, I promise..."

"Don't promise stuff for people you don't know, stupid," the hanyou cut in. Kagome rested her hands on her hips.

"Don't call me stupid! It's not my fault they're so cute everyone wants to touch them," she growled at him, unaware of Shippou shaking his head behind her back and returning to fishing the pieces of meat out from their stew.

"You humans are crazy, all of you," the forest spirit glared and then turned to scowl at the girl. "Go grab Shippou's ears." Kagome opened her mouth to say something, but the hanyou sprang to his feet and walked out of the cave, ignoring Lady Hitomi's worried expression and Akiro nervously clutching at an amulet hanging around his neck. The miko wasted a second to look after the forest spirit, but then dropped her gaze to see Hikari's eyes. The girl's face was again calm and Kagome couldn't read her emotions. 'Is she sad? Disappointed? Or is it of little importance to her?'

"Don't worry," she said warmly. "I'll help you, Hikari."

"When we meet again. Until then I'll be patient," the girl nodded and walked back to sit beside her cousin as if nothing happened. Kagome stared after her for a minute.

The next day was as uneventful as the previous one. They had no troubles, following a road shielded by tree limbs and not encountering any danger. They passed one traveler, but besides him they were the only ones on the road - the traders and messengers weren't traveling during winter if they could help it.

Shippou was a great person to entertain others - chatty and always willing to show his awesome magic tricks. He was spending some of the time with Akiro - after some coaxing from Kagome the boy let the kitsune make a ball of fox fire burning on top of a stick to keep him warm. Kagome was happy that Shippou seemed to frighten the headman's son less now. Hikari was mostly observing the kitsune or the forest while her older cousin was talking to Kagome, sharing a few stories from her life in her family palace. Kagome returned the favor by telling her about village life. Kagome was quite pleased that the lady didn't turn out to be a stuck up spoiled woman. She was reserved and shy, but also kind and honest.

Only the forest spirit was keeping his distance from others. He spent the day running around the carriage in a wide circle. Kagome was reminding herself throughout the day that he had to make sure nothing was sneaking up on them, but she still felt abandoned. Every time the conversation died down for a few minutes her mind wandered back to the hanyou she could sense nearby if she focused really hard.

The more she thought about it, the more convinced she was that Inuyasha had not let Hikari close to himself because she had spiritual powers. The girl was able to predict the future - she could posses other abilities. And Inuyasha had bad memories with spiritual power wielders. 'But then... He trusts me, right? I'm a miko...' Kagome jumped in her seat when she felt a foreign youki flaring near the road and then disappearing as suddenly as it appeared, a pained shout coming from the forest, Inuyasha's youki engulfing the quickly disappearing aura of his slain opponent. She hadn't felt the other youkai - nor the forest spirit - before the final moment of its life. 'But I am weak, he has no need to fear me attacking him,' she thought, feeling a bitter taste in her mouth. Was Inuyasha more at ease around her than other spiritually gifted people just because she was weak? Would it be he didn't really trust her?

"Kagome?" She looked at the little kitsune sitting next to her. "Don't worry, Inuyasha won't let any youkai come close to us."

She realized he probably could see the expression of her face and mistook it for concern about their safety. She smiled and gave a small nod.

"I know," she assured him.

"I am very thankful, miko Kagome, that you and the forest spirit agreed to escort us," Lady Hitomi said, probably for the hundredth time. Kagome just shook her head.

"No need to tank us, Lady Hitomi. It gave us an excuse to stick our noses out of the Forest," she said, half joking. Actually, she was really excited about seeing a village - and a palace - outside of Inuyasha's Forest. She was curious if the people living there act very differently than these living in her village.

A shout of fear brought her back from musings about the cultural experiences. Shippou jumped to one window while she almost tore off the curtain covering the other. The carriage shook when Akiro tried to calm the scared horses and make them stay still. The carriage was moving back and forth a meter, following the movements of the frightened animals.

"Lady Kagome!" the boy called as Kagome poked her head out of the window, the boy's voice full of fear and desperation.

A youkai as tall as the trees around the road was approaching them, coming from the direction they were going in. The miko swallowed when she realized the youkai resembled the two other that had attacked the Namoya family members. Kagome spared a glance at the lady who wrapped her arms around her little cousin and looked at her fearfully. 'She knows it's another monster after their lives,' Kagome realized. It was no surprise - after alll, Hikari had told her guardian there would be three beasts.

"Stay here and don't worry," the young healer said and jumped out of the carriage, right in a pile of snow near the narrow road. "Shippou, can you fetch my bow and arrows?"

"On it!" The kitsune climbed to the top of the vehicle and threw her the items. Kagome fumbled with her mantle and quiver for a minute before she rested an arrow on a string and ran to the front of the carriage where Akiro was standing in front of the horses, holding their heads down and trying to calm them down while glancing above his shoulder at the advancing youkai. She noticed some relief wash over his face when he saw her run by, but then she focused her attention on the youkai.

It looked even uglier than the previous two, running on its hands and legs like some mutated animal. Its hide was much darker than its kin's, almost black against the snow. Kagome raised her bow and started focusing her spiritual powers - with her amount of reiki she'd probably have it enough to charge one sacred arrow, but it wouldn't be strong enough to purify a youkai - especially so huge one - no matter where it landed. She had to find the perfect spot and hope her arrow would do it enough harm to stop it from attacking before Inuyasha came.

Kagome tuned out all the sounds - the neighing of the horses, Akiro's scared voice, Shippou's shouts, the sound of hooves and huge feet of the approaching monster hitting the snow-covered road. She could feel her heart beating fast, pumping her blood with frantic rhythm. Sweat appeared on her forehead when she tried to find the right spot to aim. With every second of hesitation she was letting the youkai closer and closer to her defenseless companions. Still, the closer the beast was, the easier it'd be to find the right spot and send the arrow right in it. Kagome felt her power stir inside her, impatiently waiting to be released. A soft light enveloped the arrowhead, not enough to blind her. She knew painfully well it wouldn't be enough to harm the youkai more than a thrown rock could harm a cow. Kagome found the right spot, just under where the throat morphed into the torso, an exposed place on the running youkai's body.

Suddenly a red streak appeared from her right and a loud battle cry of "You fucker!" could be heard. Kagome let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. A wave of relief went through her when she realized Inuyasha came to fight the monster who was close enough now for her to shoot. Still, she resisted the urge to let her arrow loose. Right now, when the forest spirit was between her and the youkai, it'd be stupid to shoot. With her luck she'd just get Inuyasha.

The hanyou was moving fast enough to make it hard for Kagome to follow his movements. He collided with the youkai, his battle cry followed shortly by "Sankon Tessou!", the attack Kagome saw already in action, and a flare of red youki. Inuyasha drew blood, a lot of it, and caused the youkai to stop running, but the battle was hardly over. The beast was fast and agile, engaged the hanyou in a fight with a low laughter, echoing between the trees surrounding the road.

"Pathetic fool, you have no chance against the great Maoi!" He swiped at the forest spirit, who jumped to a tree limb and pushed himself off it to launch his body in the air, aiming his claws at the bigger opponent.

"Keh! All great about you is your ass and how royally I'm gonna kick it!" Kagome couldn't help the corners of her mouth twitch when she heard that bold declaration. As she felt her lips move she realized one thing - she couldn't keep her attack back any longer, her arm was going to start shaking soon form the strain.

She knew she could just loosen the string and return the arrow to the quiver, but she didn't want to give up without helping Inuyasha in his battle. She believed he could defeat the youkai without any aid, but she wanted to add her bit too. He had battled enough youkai today already and she had been just sitting in the relative warmth and safety of the carriage.

While she was thinking how to use her arrow the best her gaze was following the forest spirit. The hanyou had caused the beast a few nasty wounds, but it wasn't enough to bring it down. The youkai cackled when its clawed hand sent Inuyasha flying back at a tree. Kagome used the opportunity of having her friend at some distance from the vile creature and it being distracted. She let the arrow fly with a short prayer.

The bowstring sang in the crisp air, the arrow hissed as it flew. It embedded itself in the youkai's body, but a good meter lower than the spot she had been aiming for. The monster, who was about to hit the hanyou struggling to stand under the tree he had hit just a second ago, shook and let out a cry of surprise and pain. The youkai turned its head to look in the direction from which the arrow had came. It showed its pointed teeth in a wide grin when its eyes laid on the petite miko standing in front of the carriage where the Namoya family members were hidden.

"You die, little human," the youkai said as it broke the arrow with a mere gesture of its hand.

"Fucker, you're fightin' me!" Inuyasha charged the beast again. This time he had his sword drawn and transformed. Kagome knew she should take another arrow and prepare to fire it, but she couldn't move, her eyes glued to the ridiculously big blade moving in wide arcs and quickly coated in blood. Even with the sword in hand, Inuyasha took a while to finally kill the youkai and jump away from a body falling to the ground. He didn't come out of the battle unscratched. A tear in his left sleeve revealed a long claw wound coming almost to his elbow and dripping blood. Kagome saw him bent down and pick something from the snow.

The next second she heard Akiro gasp, the horses getting afraid again, but this time because of the smell of blood and youki swirling in the air. Kagome barely noticed them as she was more focused on a face which had appeared mere centimeters from her own - golden eyes full of anger and dark brows furrowed, fangs shining from behind his lips when he put the remainings of her arrow in the small space between their eyes.

"What's this?" Inuyasha hissed. Kagome blinked and took a step back, focusing her eyes on the object in his hand.

"An arrow," she replied, resisting the urge to take another step. The hanyou growled. "What? I fired it to buy you some time when the youkai threw you away. I just wanted to help!"

"Tch! I didn't need your help, wench!" Inuyasha stated and winced when Kagome ignored his growl and touched his bleeding arm. "Oi! What do you think you're doing?"

"You're hurt," Kagome found his eyes again when Inuyasha moved a step back.

"It's just a scratch! Ow!" The hanyou winced when Shippou landed on his shoulder, his little paws hitting just a few centimeters above the edge of the wound.

"That was cool!" the kitsune praised and did nothing to stop Kagome from picking him up from Inuyasha's shoulder and holding in her arms. "Why didn't you start the fight with the sword? Did you forget about it?"

"Feh!" replied Inuyasha and glared at the boy, who's eyes lit up.

"You forgot! You're an idiot!" the kitsune yelped when he saw Inuyasha's face and quickly made his way inside the carriage. "Kagome, save me!"

Ten minutes later Kagome felt a headache approaching - fast. She was again sitting on a bench inside the shadowy carriage. It had took a few minutes to convince Akiro to climb up to his bench and encourage the horses to resume running. And now she was stuck inside the moving vehicle with a girl smiling shyly, a lady apologizing and switching between reaching towards Inuyasha to help and pulling her hands back when he was growling and glaring at her, and Inuyasha backed in a corner and scowling at everyone. Shippou, snickering in his hidden spot under Kagome's bench was no help at all.

The small space was full of the distinct smell of a wet dog. 'I'm sure he's thinking that it's his revenge on us,' Kagome crinkled her nose and saw a twinkle of pleasure in Inuyasha's eyes when he noticed.

"I'm terribly sorry, forest spirit, it was an accident!" Lady Hitomi pressed her delicate hands to her heart, looking with wide, pleading eyes at Kagome who was taking a roll of bandages out of her basket. "Miko Kagome, please, convince him I really didn't want to hit him with that water jug."

"Don't worry, no damage was done to his brain! Aai! Kagome!" Inuyasha's right hand moved with impressing speed and grabbed the fox by his tail. Inuyasha shook the boy in front of his scowling face.

"What did you say, brat?!"

'Yep, definitely getting a headache.'


	22. Cave Encounter

A/N: I can't believe it was so long since the last update. But fear not, if I can help it the story won't be not updated for so long again.  
Anyway, hope you like it!  
Beta: sunshineisdelicious

* * *

 **Cave Encounter**

* * *

It turned out that trying to bandage an inu hanyou was a task as hard as bathing a real dog. Kagome was pretty sure that the only thing keeping Inuyasha from trying to flee the carriage was his pride. But finally she managed to get him to sit still, ignoring to Shippou's teasing and just let her work. Kagome rolled up his kimono and kosode sleeves - the former already repaired and clean while the latter were still stained and torn - to reveal his wound. Which, to her surprise, wasn't a gaping tear in his skin and muscles, bleeding profusely. It looked like a few-days-old wound, even if covered in blood. When she cleaned it she saw it was no longer bleeding. The confused healer raised her gaze to Inuyasha's scowl and lowered ears.

" How...?" She started.

"Youkai blood, duh," Inuyasha dragged his sleeves down the length of his arm, covering the injury before she could bandage it. "I ain't as weak as you humans, I heal faster."

Kagome sighed and looked down at her bandages and herbs.

"I guess these aren't needed then," she said softly and started to put her things back away. Inuyasha glanced at her uncertainly and then left the silent females to themselves, grumbling about scouting around. Kagome found a bag with dried leaves which would help with her headache and put some in her mouth. Lady Hitomi gave her a small smile and when Shippou jumped from under her seat to take Inuyasha's previous spot the whole group started talking calmly. Still, Kagome's mind was often drifting to the gruff, stubborn hanyou who had rushed his life to save humans. For someone who was constantly reminding her he disliked humans and saw them as weak he was really bend on keeping those under his care safe. The miko spent a while wondering if this particular character trait was because of his human heart or youkai instincts. She also wondered if his unwillingness to accept her aid was the result of his pride mixed with insecurities, or just general unwillingness to be be touched by a human. After pondering the matter for a while she decided it was the former and that she had to change this stubborn, illogical attitude. She was a healer and he was her friend. Thinking about the painfully difficult process that taming Inuyasha's attitude would be made Kagome stop focusing on the kitsune telling tales about his father's pranks on humans.

Kagome's mood improved when around dusk they stopped in another cave in a hillside. This one was much bigger, but had no hot spring. Inuyasha provided them with a few rabbits and while Akiro was taking care of their horses he and Shippou brought in pine branches for beddings. In no time everyone was sitting around the fire, waiting for the rabbits roasting above the flames to be ready. Kagome inhaled the aroma and sighed happily. Her headache had receded not long after chewing the herb and her strength was restored after firing that sacred arrow.

'It is really nice to sit like this,' she thought, looking around the fire. It was already dark outside and shadows were filling far corners of the cave, but there was enough light to see. Akiro was napping, his expression relaxed as he rested on his side. Lady Hitomi was brushing Hikari's hair with a serene smile. Shippou was chewing on a thin strip of raw meat he had stolen earlier. Inuyasha was sitting with his back against the nearest wall, holding his sword in a resting warrior pose. When he noticed Kagome looking at him he raised an eyebrow.

"Not ready yet," he said, glancing to the rabbits. 'He must smell the meat much better than me, even from a bigger distance,' she realized and gave a thankful nod.

"Is your wound alright?" she asked. "I know you heal faster, but I'd really like to have a look at it. I don't want it to get infected or scar."

"Keh, there's no need to waste your stupid herbs and stuff on me." His voice was not as rough as his words, but he didn't do anything to unfold his limbs and Kagome decided to let it go, at least for now. There was no need to annoy him when he was calmer again. 'I can approach him about it when we're alone, I bet he thinks it's a sign of weakness to let me take care of him,' she mused. 'Stupid male pride.' She opened her mouth to change the subject, but caught his ears perk up and twitch. The hanyou stood up fluidly and walked in the direction of the mouth of the cave. Kagome followed him and stood at his side, looking at the forest bathed in moonlight. It looked so calm, all white and black, like an ink painting of an artist.

"What is it, Inuyasha?" she asked in a soft voice, unwilling to break his focus. His ears were slowly moving, catching all sounds of the night forest. Reflexively she focused on her own hearing, straining to hear something more than a distant howling.

"Wolves?" She frowned up at the hanyou.

"They're hunting. And coming our way, fast," he took a step outside the cave and howled himself. Kagome had seen hunters howl and mimic other animals noises, but usually they needed hands or some tools to make the sounds match certain animals. Inuyasha didn't need any of this. When he finished he listened for a moment to the calls of the other canines.

"They're hunting a human."

Kagome gasped and gripped his sleeve. "Inuyasha..."

"I ain't leavin' this spot, wench," he growled at her. "Besides, the human's running this way."

She didn't have time to voice her thoughts about his statement because her eyes caught movement. Down the road they had come from a galloping horse, its rider bent to its neck. A few paces behind the horse ran a pack of eight wolves, all dark and growling.

"Oh, gods," gasped the lady who came up behind Kagome.

"Go back!" Inuyasha pushed them both further in the cave. "And get the horses away from the entrance!" he called to Akiro, who jumped awake. While both the lady and the boy obeyed Inuyasha's demands, Kagome refused to stay behind. She returned to the fire and grabbed the startled kitsune.

"Can you throw your fire between the horse and the wolves?" she asked as she ran to the entrance of the cave, where Inuyasha stood still, observing the pack keeping the distance between themselves and the rider. Shippou looked at the chase. The hanyou tilted one ear her way, but didn't say anything.

"Sure thing!" the fox grinned up at Kagome and jumped out of her grip to perform his magic. "Fox Fire!"

A ball of blue fire flew from his little hands and, following a wide arc, flew to land just in front of the wolves. The beasts paused as they saw it, but then they ran around the flame to follow their prey. Luckily for the human it bought him enough time to reach the cave. Inuyasha moved in front of the running animal and by grabbing its reins and pulling hard he pushed it to make a narrow half circle and stop a few paces away from the mouth of the cave. The motion caused the rider to fall off the animal's back and land just under Kagome's feet.

"Akiro!" Inuyasha barked out, surprising the miko with his knowledge of the headman's son's name. It was the first time he had used it. The boy ran to him and somehow managed to get the scared and tired animal under control and pull it inside the cave. Meanwhile the human - a male - looked up to Kagome and bowed his head.

"Help, lady miko!" he exclaimed right as the wolves stopped in a wide half-circle around the cave entrance. Inuyasha growled lowly, causing the canines to grow silent. "The youkai!"

Kagome looked at him in alarm. From so close she could see the wolves had three eyes, but none had any youki. She turned her eyes at Shippou, who shook his head and jumped to sit on her shoulder. Inuyasha came to stand above the fallen man and kicked his side.

"Oi, human!" He nudged the poor man again, ignoring Kagome's glare. "What did ya do to make these chase you?" He pointed the tip of his transformed sword at the wolves, who were silently observing them, waiting for a chance to jump forward. After a short growl from the forest spirit they ceased their growling and remained eerily silent.

"I did nothing wrong!" the man moved away from the nudging foot and looked up, obviously irked that he was treated so rudely. His eyes widened when he took in the sight of the forest spirit, his eyes and hair glowing in the moonlight. He grabbed the loose fabric of Kagome's hakama. "Ah, gods, another one!"

Inuyasha growled at the man, his eyes glued to his hand gripping a fistful of red fabric.

"Don't be afraid, this is the forest spirit and he's friendly," Kagome said in a calming voice. The man looked up to her face and relaxed. His smile lasted just a second because then Shippou moved on her shoulder, drawing his attention.

"But if I were you I'd say goodbye to your hand. You won't have it for much longer if you don't let go of Kagome," he grinned and pointed his little finger at Inuyasha. The man quickly retreated and lifted himself to a kneeling position. His pale complexion looked almost white in the soft light, but his eyes and expression were kind, even if still bearing traces of fear.

"I... Uh..." the man glanced to Inuyasha, who stopped growling, but still looked like he was inclined to throw the human to the wolves. Kagome glared at Shippou, ready to scold him for scaring the poor man more.

"Oh, good gods!" exclaimed a feminine voice. Kagome turned around and saw Lady Hitomi approach them, her hands covering her mouth.

"Lady Namoya?" asked the man in utter surprise. "What are you doing here, my lady? Shouldn't you be in the Hojo palace?"

"My carriage was attacked and my escort slain. My brother is dead as well. Luckily these good people decided to escort me and my cousin to our future home. But what you are doing here, Lord Hojo?" the noble woman stood beside Kagome and reached a hand to help the young man up. He was a little taller than Kagome, dressed in a brown outfit - it was plain, but made from fine materials. Just now Kagome realized that he had a short blade attached to his hip.

Judging from the way they were talking they knew each other, Kagome suspected the male was of noble descent himself. Kagome could see in his expressive eyes no hostility or pride, but she felt a bit uneasy. The last time she had met a noble man it wasn't pleasant. She looked around to find Inuyasha no longer standing between them and the wolves, the hanyou was next to her, glaring at the man and still holding Tessaiga. Its tip was lowered, but Kagome was perfectly aware how fast it could go up and find purchase in the forest spirit's opponent's heart. The feel of familiar red youki made her relax and realize how tense she had been since the moment Inuyasha had told her that the wolves had been hunting a human. Shippou probably sensed her uneasiness, because he was sitting still on her shoulder, his tail brushing the back of her neck.

"Oh, forgive my manners!" Lady Hitomi turned to face her escort. "This is lady Kagome and her friends, forest spirit Inuyasha and kitsune Shippou. They have saved our lives more than once and keep us safe on our journey. This is Lord Hojo Keichi, the youngest brother of my honorable fiancée," she introduced them all. The young man bowed politely to them, even if he eyed the hanyou with cautious, wary eyes. Kagome frowned when she saw this gaze also turned Shippou's way. 'He was chased by supernatural wolves, he must feel uncertain around youkai,' she thought as she bowed back, trying to keep a calm mind and not judge this lord by actions of another.

"It is a real blessing from the gods that we met," said the lord, looking at both females. "I was returning home from a family mission, hoping I could make it before the day of your arrival. I am terribly sorry for your brother, but I am glad you are safe. Fear not, my lady, I am more of a scholar than a warrior, but nothing will harm you when I am here."

As Lord Hojo voiced his bold statement Inuyasha glared, but surprisingly not at him. He tensed his eyes focused on the forest. The wolves stood to attention, a few turned their heads back.

"He's coming," he warned, causing everyone to look at him.

"Wh- Oh," Kagome felt a youkai approaching and turned to the nobles. "Please, go inside. A youkai is heading this way."

Lady Hitomi took a step back, trusting her escort to take care of the matter. Lord Hojo looked between the miko and youkai before standing in front of the lady, his hand resting on the hilt of his short sword. 'He looks scared, but he still wants to protect her,' Kagome thought and she felt a little more inclined to be friendly towards the young lord. He didn't look older than her or the lady. His face looked innocent and still a little too pale in the moonlight.

"Oh, wow!" Shippou gasped when he saw a shape moving between the trees. A moment later Kagome saw it as well, because the youkai stepped out of the dark shadows into the space in front of the cave. Inuyasha moved subtly, placing himself in front of Kagome, the tip of Tessaiga lifting, moon rays dancing down the massive blade and drawing attention.

It was dark, almost black against the bright snow. Its body was massive and resembled a wolf with a huge rounded head. When the youkai stood on its hind legs it appeared to be almost as tall as trees behind it, broad and muscular. Its eyes were glowing and blue, wide and pretty big. The wolves barked their greeting, but the youkai barely noticed them as it focused these ghostly eyes on the group in the cave entrance. Lady Hitomi took a few steps back, almost tripping over the hem of her kimono. Lord Hojo shrank back a little,

"This is the youkai who was chasing me!" he exclaimed, his voice cracking a little. The youkai didn't even look his way. Its eyes rested on the sword in Inuyasha's hand and widened,.

"Is it... Tessaiga?" the youkai's voice was low and masculine, filled with a mixture of hope and disbelief. Inuyasha growled and tensed, ready to jump forward. "It is!" A sound that Kagome could call only a squeal of delight came out of the youkai's massive jaws. "It really is!"

"Eeh?" Inuyasha stared at the wolf youkai who apparently forgot about the human he had been chasing. To Kagome's utter shock it appeared almost... 'I hate to say it but... Is he... giddy!?"


	23. Misunderstandings

A/N: A huge thank you for all my lovely readers and reviewers! You'r feedback is highly appreciated, even if I rarely answer.  
Beta: sunshineisdelicious

* * *

 **Misunderstandings**

* * *

"Eeh?" Inuyasha stared at the wolf youkai who apparently forgot about the human he had been chasing. To Kagome's utter shock it appeared almost... 'I hate to say it but... Is he... giddy!?'

The youkai tapped one of his big feet and the wolves disappeared in clouds of smoke. When only the blue-eyed one remained standing in front of the cave he seemed to be less threatening and shorter, but still pretty wide. His youki, which was dark brown, seemed to seep back in his body. He approached Inuyasha in a dance-like gait, but stopped a few meters away when the hanyou's growl dropped an octave. It seemed that just now the youkai took in the whole image of the group standing in front of him, not only the sword in Inuyasha's hand. Kagome noticed with a little amusement that his attention was still focused mostly on Inuyasha and his blade.

"You look so much like him, master Inuyasha. I heard only rumors about you," he started, sounding more collected now. "I heard you lived around this area..."

"Like who?" Inuyasha growled, not letting him finish speaking. The youkai seemed to be friendly enough, but Kagome knew her hanyou friend wasn't one to put his trust in strangers, especially someone who had just recently been hunting a human. To Kagome Inuyasha resembled a wary dog, unsure if he should chase away a newcomer or let them stay and talk.

"Why, Inu no Taisho," the wolf smiled widely, presenting a wide array of sharp teeth. Kagome noticed his smile fade a bit when Inuyasha tensed. The youkai dropped his gaze, probably wanting to show his good will. "I'm Royakan. I served under you father. I mean no harm to you, your pack or your territory."

"Feh." To Kagome's surprise this simple statement made the hanyou sheathe his sword. But he remained in the same place, standing between the youkai and humans behind him. Royakan's eyes were following every motion of the hanyou, but Kagome felt no malice or ill will in his youki, at least not anymore. 'He feels kinda nice. Especially for a wolf,' she realized. Shippou on her shoulder shifted a little, his tiny body relaxing. He trusted Inuyasha's judgment and Kagome felt a little spark of warmth in her heart when she saw the trust of the kitsune. "So what are you doing here?"

"I was traveling back to my domain and camping in the forest when a human kidnapped my mate!" Royakan's youki suddenly flared as he glared at the young lord, who took a step back, shaking his head. To Kagome he didn't look like a kidnapper, more like a confused scholar, disturbed that he was accused of something like this and shaken by being chased by a huge youkai.

"I did no such thing!" Lord Hojo exclaimed, his voice shaking as he looked at the massive youkai. But he looked determined to defend his honor. "I would never kidnap a woman, I swear!" He gulped when Royakan growled at him loudly and flexed his claws.

Kagome noticed a pleading look in Lady Hitomi's eyes, wordlessly asking for her aid. She gave Inuyasha a glance to see what he was planning to do. When he shrugged and put his hands in his sleeves, she realized he was letting her mediate between the youkai and humans. She walked to stand in front of the noble pair, beside the hanyou. Royakan focused his eyes on her and gave a soft noise of surprise, as if only now noticing her robes. Inuyasha replied with a silent growl of warning and Shippou shifted on her shoulder as if to tell the wolf youkai he was here and ready to defend his friend too.

The young miko felt safer at the same instant she felt Shippou and Inuyasha's youki wrapping around her. She wasn't alone, her friends were by her side and would help her. As she looked up to Royakan's blue eyes she could see the difference between him and the bloodthirsty youkai like those who had attacked them earlier. He was wary and angry, worried and determined - as any husband would be if he thought his wife was in danger. She was sure they could end this event without fighting.

"I am sure it's just a misunderstanding. I am sure if we all sit and talk this over we can come to a peaceful conclusion," she said, doing her best to sound like her mother. She put in her words all her calmness, her honesty and will to help. The youkai tilted his head to the side, as if surprised by her will to mediate. Kagome supposed most mikos would just try to kill him or send him away. "I'm sure Lord Hojo isn't a bad person, who would go around and steal wives."

"Lady miko is right! You had no right to accuse me of such a thing," the young lord nodded and looked fearfully at the wolf-like beast glaring his way. Lady Hitomi clung to her soon-to-be brother-in-law's arm.

"Miko!" Royakan exclaimed, turning to look back at Kagome. "I know you want to save the human, but he is the criminal here! Move aside and let me get my revenge and my beloved back!"

"There is no need to get violent, let's talk it over!" As the youkai stepped forward again, towering over Kagome, fully intent on pushing her to the side himself and grabbing the young lord. Kagome raised her hands in a calming gesture and a certain hanyou materialized in front of her, his ears hidden in the mass of his hair.

"Royakan," growled Inuyasha. Kagome couldn't see his face because his back was turned towards her, but Royakan's eyes widened and the wolf took a deep breath. "I won't let you harm what's mine to protect."

Kagome felt a soft flutter in her chest when she heard her hanyou companion's words. Since the very start of their friendship he was always protecting her, at his side she knew she had nothing to fear. But it was the first time he said he wouldn't let anyone harm her. It made her feel so warm inside! She laid a hand against her chest, trying to focus - this was hardly the time to think about that.

"I'm in the right," Royakan stated, his eyes drifting to the cave entrance.

"Please," Kagome took a deep breath when she felt that everyone's attention was drawn to her. "I'm sure we can solve this without violence. Will you come in and talk about this?"

She gave everyone a pleading look, gazing from the irate wolf-youkai, through Inuyasha's scowling face to the worried Lady Hitomi and her soon-to-be relative, who just looked confused, offended and afraid. 'I suppose he thought I'd just shoot an arrow at the youkai,' Kagome shrugged mentally, grabbed Inuyasha's hand and walked inside the cave, praying that the rest would follow her.

She totally missed a pair of wide golden eyes looking at her fingers curled around the male's hand as the hanyou followed her wordlessly. Shippou, on the other hand, didn't miss the expression on Inuyasha's face and giggled in his little palms.

When Kagome came closer to the fire she felt her muscles relax in the warmth, the nice smell of the supper filling her nose. She gave Akiro and Hikari a calming smile and glanced back at the same time when Inuyasha freed his hand and stuffed it in his sleeve, looking away. She gave him a radiant smile and told Shippou to go to Hikari, hoping that the girl and the village boy would draw some comfort from having a familiar youkai near them. Inuyasha took his previous place from where he could see everyone else.

Meanwhile the rest joined them - Lady Hitomi quickly took her place beside her cousin while Lord Hojo sat a little away from the females, keeping a proper distance and appearing more controlled. Royakan was the last one to step in the warmth of the cave, He looked around and sat under a wall opposite from Inuyasha's spot. Kagome gave a nod.

"Alright, Royakan, tell us what happened," she said kindly.

"I was camping nearby and while I was gone hunting this human came to my cave and took my mate," Royakan growled out, glaring at the young lord.

"I did no such thing!" he exclaimed. "It's barbaric and I won't have a youkai soiling my honor by accusing me..."

"Lord Hojo?" Kagome cut in when she felt Royakan's youki rise. "Can you tell us your part of the story?" She saw a smile form on his handsome face when he nodded, obviously pleased that she wanted to hear what he had to tell.

"Of course, miko Kagome," the man's voice immediately took a polite tune as he turned to face her. "I was on my way home when I saw a fire in a cave. It was getting dark, so I decided to join the travelers for the night by their fire and continue tomorrow," he stole a glance at Royakan. "But when I came to that cave there was just a bunch of things near the fire, but there was no one around it. I thought that they went to collect wood or something. So I made myself comfortable and started cooking my meal. But then I saw a huge youkai running towards the cave and howling like a beast of hell. So I grabbed my basket with herbs and ran away, right to you, lady miko. Thank you for saving me from being eaten by those vile wolves."

Kagome's eyes lit up when she heard about a basket of herbs, but she couldn't ask about it. Royakan stood up with an angry growl and undid a string going across his chest, which was keeping a big basket on his back. He dangled it in the lord's face.

"This basket? You left that and stole my mate's traveling container!"

Lord Hojo gasped at the youkai while Kagome blinked in surprise. 'What woman would want to travel in a reed basket?'

"My... my herbs!" Lord Hojo exclaimed in shock. Meanwhile Inuyasha walked to the place where Akiro had stored all their luggage and picked up a basket similar in shape and size to the one dangling from Royakan's claws. With a long-suffering sigh the hanyou pushed the container in the wolf-youkai's chest and snatched the other from his hand to dump on Lord Hojo's lap. The hanyou grumbled under his breath as he walk to sit back on his place. She was fairly sure she heard something about stupid humans. Kagome gave him a wide smile, happy that the situation could be solved without a fight.

"My herbs!"

"Misuki!" both basket owners opened the lids of their respective containers. In Lord Hojo's were pouches and bunches of segregated leaves, roots, and even whole plants. In the youkai's basket was sand and some dry grass on top of it. And a red snake with golden dots going all along its spine from its head to the tip of its tail. The snake slowly lifted its head and blinked two gem-like green eyes. Kagome saw a forked tongue sample the air before a feminine voice could be heard.

"It's cold," the female youkai stated, drawing out all the hissing sounds a little. "Why did you wake me up? This place reeks of humans." The snake turned her eyes to Royakan, who smiled affectionately.

"I am sorry, love, I just wanted to make sure you we're alright. A human took your basket," the wolf apologized. "We'll return to our camp shortly."

"Good. Kill the one who dared to take my container," the snake hissed, her voice indifferent.

"I'm sorry," Kagome raised a hand, drawing their attention. "It was just a misunderstanding and I am sure there's no need to get violent. Lord Hojo didn't mean to cause any harm."

"Of course," the man nodded when she turned to look at him. He was more focused on going through various pouches, as if making sure all his herbs were intact. When Kagome continued to look his way he finally lifted his head and looked at the youkai couple. "I didn't mean to take your basket. If I had known you were in it I wouldn't have even come near it. Please, accept my apology."

"Hm," the snake glared at the human, but then simply curled back in her basket and Royakan covered his napping wife with some dry grass before putting the lid back.

"You're lucky she's sleepy during winter months. Otherwise she would be positively livid and wouldn't be so kind," the wolf stated and glanced at Kagome. "My mate is safe with me again."

With that he picked up his basket and walked out of the cave.

Kagome stared after him for a second before she felt a little person jumping in her lap.

"I guess that's all you'll get for helping them solve this," said Shippou.

"It's fine, I'm just glad it's over and no one got hurt," she replied with a smile. "I'm glad you and Inuyasha let me mediate."

"Feh, whatever. Now we can eat," Inuyasha crouched beside the miko, his eyes on the meat baking over the fire.

Their meal passed in a peaceful atmosphere. At first it was just Lady Hitomi talking politely with the young lord, but finally Kagome started asking about his herbs and the man was more than happy to share his knowledge with her and anyone else who would want to listen. With amusement the miko realized that the lord quite easily forgot that his companions might have a desire to say was often breaking in monologues about various things. He could talk about the properties of a certain plant for a couple of minutes before suddenly switching to a story about how he went to an old temple to learn about a particular herb. It was entertaining and enlightening to listen to him talk. But after some time it became a little annoying that he didn't seem to be interested in Kagome's knowledge about some of his findings. He was gladly answering questions when she managed to stick some between his monologues. Lady Hitomi and the rest didn't take part in the discussion. They had retired not long after the meal. Only Shippou stayed up, playing near the hanyou who was guarding the whole group. The kitsune didn't want to disturb the packages and pouches the lord had been putting on the ground around himself while sharing his knowledge with the only person who wanted to listen to him - the young miko.

Finally, some time later, Kagome went to sleep, thinking that not all lords were bad. Still, her thoughts kept returning to the memory of the other lord she had met recently. Lord Hojo was a nice person, even if he was a little too focused on his studies, but he was still a stranger male. Shippou sneaked under Kagome's blanket and the warmth of his little body pressed against her back was what finally helped her fall asleep.

Kagome woke up a few hours later, curled in a ball under her blanket, with Shippou sleeping curled up against her back. She rubbed her eyes and looked around. Lady Hitomi and Hikari were sleeping peacefully and sharing their blankets, Lord Hojo and Akiro were both snoring softly on the other side of the fire. Inuyasha was currently adding more wood to the fire. Kagome sighed, glad to see the hanyou. In her dream she had been looking for him in a huge crowd and he had been nowhere to be found. The dream was quickly fading from her mind, thanks to the light of the fire and the person squatting by it. After a minute all she could remember was the feeling of uneasiness, being alone and lost. He looked at her when she made a move to sit up.

"Go to sleep." he ordered gruffly. "We're moving out at dawn. You have a couple of hours."

"Inuyasha, I..." Kagome bit her bottom lip, unsure how to voice her desire to have him close. She was sure nothing bad would come to her if he was nearby. He was the guardian she would always trust. Inuyasha's ears twitched as he crouched by her bedding. Briefly, she wondered if he could smell her emotions.

"You aren't cold?" he asked and she shook her head. "Then go to sleep."

"Are you not going to get some sleep too?" she asked, tilting her head. She hoped that a short conversation would make her uneasiness subside.

"Feh, someone has to watch over you guys," he replied and blinked when Kagome sat up and pulled the blanket away.

"Can I watch over the rest with you for a while?" she asked. The hanyou shrugged and Kagome left her bedding, careful not to disturb Shippou. Kagome smiled up at him and followed him to his spot near the cave entrance. She sat close to the hanyou, who looked awkwardly at her while placing his sword against his shoulder.

"I'm just happy that you're with me on this journey," she said quietly after a minute. And she meant it. With him and Shippou at her side she didn't feel anxious traveling with strangers.

"You won't be so happy when we reach the village," Inuyasha replied and hid his hands in his sleeves, refusing to look at her. "Humans will scream and run away from us. I mean the kid is just a kid and a kitsune, they're rather liked by humans and like them back. I... I'm a dog. And if they knew I was a half-breed they'd still fear me, but also despise me."

His voice was quiet and indifferent, but Kagome was sure he felt sad. She could imagine how it had been for him to be hated and feared, despised by most youkai and humans. While the former could sense his mixed blood the latter just thought him to be another youkai. Only reiki users could sense his aura. She understood him to some degree - after all she had been the 'cursed' reincarnation of a powerful miko, pitied or disliked by her peers. She moved a little closer to him, brushing her shoulder against his. He tensed for a long minute, but then relaxed.

"I know what you are. And I don't think less of you," she assured him softly. "And why do you think being a dog youkai is worse than being a fox? Dogs live alongside humans while foxes raid chicken coops."

He glanced at her.

"Have you not learned about inu youkai?"

It was her turn to shrug.

"Mother said that there's only a few inu youkai, mostly living to the west and far south, I was more focused on the youkai breeds which are common in this area," she explained. "I mean - you are inu, but you were sealed and no one expected to see you awake again. And I didn't appear to have reiki, so I couldn't undo the seal."

She bit her bottom lip. 'Yeah, no one expected the poor, weak Kagome to even find the sealed forest spirit, let alone break the arrow. And yet I someohowmanaged to do just that.' Inuyasha meanwhile looked at the sleeping humans for a second before speaking again.

"Feh. Most inu youkai are daiyoukai. They're more powerful and dangerous than ordinary breeds," he said after a minute. "Unlike ordinary dogs they rarely stay close to humans. You know, some are inugami who had slain their former masters. They're not fond of your kin. Others just want to live their lives without pesky humans running around."

Kagome dropped her gaze to her hands, thinking that it made sense - the inu youkai were keeping to themselves and were small in numbers, so there were few encounters with humans. And those who had been once slaves to humans held no love for their race.

"My old man was different." She looked up in surprise when she heard Inuyasha's silent voice again. "He was an inugami who got free, but he still was fond of humans."

He fell silent after voicing this statement. Kagome reached up and rested her hand on his forearm.

"And you? Are you fond of humans?" she asked, looking at his face. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. He could see the hope shining in her brown orbs.  
'He's probably going to say no, just to keep his tough guy act and pretend he's not helping me and the village every time I ask him to,' she thought.

"Of some," he murmured and quickly looked away, missing the wide happy smile of the young miko. Kagome rested her head against his shoulder and looked at their sleeping companions. It was just fine with him, this way she couldn't see his face.

"I'm glad," she said. "Please, don't worry about tomorrow. We won't stay in the village for long and if someone screams at you I will scold them and protect you."

"Feh, it is I who protect you, wench, not the other way around," she heard from above her. She missed the blush coloring Inuyasha's cheeks as he said this.

.

Kagome woke up the next day under her blanket. Drowsily she looked around and spotted everyone else waking up and stretching on their places. Akiro was already tending to the horses while Inuyasha was once again feeding the fire. He had his usual mild scowl on his face, so it was hard to tell if he was still worried about their stay in the new village or not. She couldn't blame him for feeling uneasy. He had not gone outside of his forest in more than five decades and from what she knew and suspected, before his five-decades-long slumber he had been rarely seen by her village. She was pretty sure that the humans from outside his domain would fear him and not give him even the same respect her peers were giving to the forest spirit. For people from outside Inuyasha's Forest he was just another youkai. One had to have an open mind and want to look past the supernatural (and rather rough) nature of the hanyou to see he was a good person. But she knew it took time to learn this truth and some people would never understand that youkai could be just like humans, both good or evil, or walking a path between.

They quickly ate and collected their things. It was decided that Lord Hojo was going to travel with them, his horse tied behind the carriage. While the humans and kitsune hid inside the hanyou took his favorite spot on the roof, refusing to get inside the crowded vehicle. The time was passing pretty fast for the passengers, Lord Hojo was once again telling stories, showing herbs and explaining their properties. Kagome noticed that only she was interested in his lectures. Lady Hitomi was looking outside while Shippou and Hikari were dozing off. The young lord didn't seem to care, as long as he had at least one listener.

Most of his plants were from far away and he wanted to plant their seeds in his garden and introduce them to his village. Kagome recognized some of his findings, but the majority of them were new to her. She wasn't sure if herbs from far south could survive the climate here, but thought that it wouldn't hurt to try, especially because they were useful.

She was so focused on the herbs, that she was caught by surprise when Lady Hitomi suddenly spoke.

"We're leaving the forest." Her voice soft and a bit tired. The young miko immediately jumped to the window to look out. She saw snow-covered trees and bushes drift back as the carriage rolled out from behind the tree line. She saw gentle hills and a village nestled between them, near a river bending away from the forest. She could even see a castle overlooking the village from the top of a hill. They weren't close. There was a lot of land between the forest and the first houses. She regretted that she came here during winter, since she was sure the sight would be stunning with all colors of spring or summer. Her imagination painted the plains and gardens with vibrant colors. 'Maybe we could come here sometime during the spring?' she wondered. She hoped that Kaede would take her on some of her travels to neighbouring villages now that she had started to show some reiki.

"Like what you see?" she heard a familiar voice and when looked up she saw Inuyasha's head peeking from behind the edge of the roof. Kagome smiled happily. "Feh, that's just a stupid village. I'll never understand you, wench."

After a short debate Lord Hojo mounted his horse and Kagome went to sit with Akiro, Shippou riding on her shoulder. This way Lady Hitomi had a while to herself to prepare for their arrival and Kagome could watch the village as they were approaching it. Inuyasha was laying reclined between the luggage on the top of the carriage, looking at everything, seemingly bored. But his ears were twitching and swiveling, and Kagome knew he was alert to everything that was going on. 'I wonder if someone can see him from the ground,' she thought as she glanced back at the hanyou.

The village wasn't very different from her own - similar huts and barns, a beaten road, piles of snow between fences and walls, but it was much bigger than Kagome's. There was some activity near the river which was currently frozen over. According to Lord Hojo's words there was supposed to be a celebration of the wedding of Lady Hitomi and his brother, and the villagers were probably preparing the place.

People living here wore dark clothes, warm and comfortable, allowing as much freedom of movement as possible. Kagome noticed that many were looking at them as they were passing, all curious and surprised. Some greeted the young lord respectfully. The young lord led the way through the village to the castle, responding to the greetings with a wave of his hand. At his gesture the guards of the gate let them in without a word and soon the horses stopped in the center of the yard in front of the huge building. Kagome took a minute to just stare at it. Even with the snow covering its roofs and piled up against its walls it was impressive. Some old trees were growing near it, thick limbs covered with piles of white fluffiness.

Meanwhile a bunch of guards came and Lord Hojo sent one to bring his family to meet the guests. Kagome jumped to the snow-covered yard and smiled, Shippou remained on her shoulder, partially hidden by her hair and the folds of her hood. Lord Hojo called a servant to help Akiro with the horses and the carriage later. A guard approached the young lord.

"My lord, you have returned! May I ask who are those people?" he asked in concern, raising his thick brow when he saw a miko descending to the ground and looking at the castle in amazement. She didn't feel offended. After all there were no guards escorting the carriage and the Hojo family was at war with some other clan, joining forces with Lady Hitomi's family.

"They're from Namoya clan," Lord Hojo said in return. "They will tell about their journey and adventures later."

The man bowed and backed away, just in time because the Hojo family walked out of the building and stood at the top of wide stairs leading to the main entrance. Kagome saw two more young men and a girl, all similar to the young lord she had meet the previous night. Their father stood in front of them. He wasn't very tall, but looked proud and noble with his peaceful expression. All of them looked at Kagome, who suddenly realized she was standing alone by the carriage. She instantly felt hot, not sure what she was supposed to do. She wasn't prepared to face lords, she was just a simple healer! How should she explain her presence here? Or maybe she should ask to move the conversation inside?

"Um... I..."

Luckily she had not to worry for long. The door of the carriage opened and Hikari exited the shadows before her older cousin made her appearance. Kagome looked at Lady Hitomi in awe - the young woman had a beautiful blue kimono with snowflakes twirling down the expanse of her sleeves. She had a veil covering her face and long hair. To Kagome she looked like a daughter of an emperor.

"This one is Namoya Hitomi," she said, her voice sweet. She wasn't speaking very loud, but somehow she was clearly heard by everyone. "This one arrives as was planned and promised. May the gods look fondly on the Hojo clan."

"Welcome, lady Namoya," said the old lord after a second. He released his hands from the warmth of the sleeves of his dark blue robe and made a welcoming gesture. "You are welcome under this one's roof and this one promises that no harm or discomfort will come your way."

"Honorable lord, your generosity and hospitality shine like the full moon," the young lady bowed graciously. "We, humble travelers, accept your offer with gratitude. This one dares to ask for you to extend your hospitality to this one's escort, who helped this female to fulfil her duty and come to your domain."

The old lord stole a glance at Kagome, who did her best to look serene and not anxious. ''I'm sure he's wondering now where her guards and lord Namoya are,' she thought and shivered. 'I hope Lady Hitomi won't get into too much detail...'

Suddenly Inuyasha jumped from the roof of the carriage and stood beside Kagome. He had been quiet and hidden behind the luggage piled up on the top of the carriage, so his sudden appearance made many people gasp in shock and take a step back. Kagome and Lady Hitomi showed no sign of surprise. Hikari didn't even look up.

"We're going home," he stated with his arms crossed and glared at the humans around him. A few guards grabbed the hilts of their swords with gasps of "Youkai!" All Inuyasha said before turning his back on them was: "Keh!"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome glared at the hanyou and for some reason felt a deep urge to push him hard enough to make him fall to his back. Or better yet - to his face. First he had been anxious about appearing in the village, then he suddenly decided to jump in the middle of armed people and startle them. She turned to the humans and bowed her head in apology. "Please, do not be worried or offended. He means no harm!"

"Feh, of course I don't, silly wench. If I did they'd be already dead," Inuyasha shrugged. "So? Are you ready to go home already?"

'I really need to meditate more.' Kagome thought, this time imagining throwing snowballs at the rude hanyou. His last remark didn't have any calming effect on the guards or the Hojo family, who decided to not approach the newcomers. She crossed her hands over her chest and then looked at Lady Hitomi, partially hoping for her help. The Namoya lady lowered her head a little before speaking up again.

"Honorable Lord Hojo," she said, addressing the old lord. "Let this humble female introduce to you miko Kagome from the Sunset Village in the heart of Inuyasha's Forest and Inuyasha himself. And let's not forget about Shippou, the kitsune." The boy waved shyly from his spot on Kagome's shoulder. "They nobly accepted the mission of escorting this one after the misfortune that had befallen this one and her escort on the way to your castle. Please, extend your offer of hospitality to them for the night before they return to their dwelling. This one promises that they are honorable and the youkai is not a vile creature desiring to bring misery to humans. The forest spirit had saved this one's life more than once."

"Hey, did she always talk this way? Is she okay?" To Kagome's dread Inuyasha made a motion as if he wanted to lift Lady Hitomi's veil and peer behind it. This time Kagome's patience snapped and she reached out with the speed of a snake, grasping his ear and tugging him away from the bride of one of the lord's sons. To her credit Lady Hitomi didn't even flinch when Inuyasha yelped, freed his ear and jumped back from Kagome with a soft growl.

"Father," lord Keichi spoke up suddenly. He had been standing to the side, observing the action unfold, but now he walked to stand closer to Kagome. "They also saved me from a wolf youkai on my way back home," he gestured to Kagome. "The lady miko is a woman of great purity and power."

"My lord..." Kagome blushed and wanted to correct the man, but she fell silent because the old lord seemed to be ready to voice his opinion on the matter. Still, it was strange to her that lord Keichi thought of her as a strong miko, she had not used her reiki even once during their short journey.

"Very well," old Lord Hojo said with a calm voice as he addressed the crowd gathered under the foot of the stairs. "As the miko and her companion are both recipients of gratitude and trust from both my son and the noble lady Namoya this one has no qualms with housing you under the roof of this one's house. Let's come in, so we can discuss the events from your journey, noble lady. It appears it will be quite a story."

Kagome sighed in relief when she saw the guards relax and move their hands away from their weapons.

"Wait, what?" Inuyasha's ears twitched when he stared at the old man. "We were going to go home as soon as we make sure the lady is at her destination." The Hojo family waited for lady Namoya to join them on the top of the stairs before walking inside, Kagome quickly followed, Inuyasha hot on her heels. "Oi, Kagome! We..."

"Oh, hush, it'll be dark soon and I'd like to sleep under a roof before traveling for next three days in cold," Kagome said softly, knowing he could hear her. Shippou, shyly hidden behind her hair and folds of her hood shifted on her shoulder.

"And we'll get food," the kitsune said hopefully. Kagome stroked his hair.

"Remember about good manners, Shippou." she said with a soft smile and the boy nodded. The hanyou who was walking behind them was scowling, his ears swiveling this way and that as they walked in the castle.


	24. Dancing Snowflakes

A/N: Don't throw stuff at me, I totally forgot how much time passed since the last update of this story! ~hides in Inuyasha's den under a pile of puppies~  
Beta: sunshineisdelicious

* * *

 **Dancing Snowflakes**

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Kagome sat between Hikari and Shippou, entertaining herself by watching the children eat. Hikari acted like a real lady, her chopsticks never hitting the edge of her bowl, her movements graceful, controlled and lady-like. Shippou, as a free-spirited boy, ate more like children from Kagome's village - fast and efficient, but with less grace. To her surprise, Inuyasha, who was sitting on the other side of the kitsune, was showing more self-control and good manners. That, or he was suspicious of the food in front of him. 'I guess it's the latter,' the miko thought when she caught sight of the hanyou sniffing a bowl of rice after picking it up. 'I suppose he's still surprised he's being given food, not chased away by a mob with torches and pitchforks,' Kagome thought while putting a piece of fish in her mouth. 'But he's not a random youkai after human blood, he's a hero, who saved a son of the lord and his ally's daughter.' She smiled softly. She felt refreshed and warm after the hot bath she had taken before the dinner. Dressed in clean robes, with her hair brushed, she was in a good mood and hoped her companions were too.

The miko looked around the room - the Hojo family sat near, Lady Hitomi seated beside her future sister-in-law, the youngest of Hojo children. Her name was Mai and she often looked over at the other guests of the house, listening with intense curiosity to the story Lady Hitomi was telling. Further away from Kagome sat the Hojo brothers - Akitoki, Hiroshi and Keichi. The one who was going to be Lady Hitomi's husband was Lord Akitoki, who looked like a kind person. From what Kagome saw the whole family was very polite and valued knowledge. While Lord Keichi focused his studies on herbs and medicine, Lord Hiroshi was more of a historian and Lord Akitoki was most skilled with poetry.

Lady Hitomi was an excellent storyteller and Kagome regretted that she learned this just now. The woman had been always polite, but spoke very little during the journey. Now she was stringing together dozens of words in her tale. She started the story with her and her brother leaving the Namoya palace, she described traveling through the snow-covered land, passing bridges over cold rivers and camping on the edge of a great forest. She told about the journey through the woods, under the canopy of ancient trees. Then her tale changed as she told the Hojo family and the other people gathered for the meal about the ambush of the vile youkai, the frightening sounds of her escort fighting and falling to death.

Kagome was so caught up in the story that she didn't notice that the meal was over, the servants quietly took the empty dishes and brought sweet treats and tea for the listening crowd.

"I held my little cousin," Lady Hitomi said, dropping the third person and speaking less formarly to create a much more intimate atmosphere. "Both of us were shaking like scared sparrows on a branch of a birch tree during a stormy night, praying to the gods to save were closed in the carriage, our only protection the walls of wood and sacred sutras plastered around us by my brother. Where once had been the sounds of the brave samurai of Namoya clan fighting honorably was now an eerie silence, so deep one could hear their own heart beat. I knew the youkai was victorious, circling around our shelter, mocking us, captured in our carriage. My brother and I were losing hope, feeling ashamed that our clan wouldn't fulfill our mission and bring dishonor to our family. But then Hikari spoke to me. She said: 'The Iron Fang and the Tree Whisperer are coming.' We didn't understood her words, but they gave us hope and we stayed inside the carriage."

Shippou giggled when he heard the name Hikari had given Kagome. The miko noticed that many had curious expressions of their faces, trying to solve the riddle. For her it was no riddle, it was painfully clear who the Iron Fang was (the young man currently grinning at her, one of his fangs peeking out from behind his lips) and that the Tree Whisperer was a certain young miko who had a tendency to sit under a certain Tree of Ages and talk for hours. Both Inuyasha and Shippou were looking at her, but she pretended she didn't notice the mirthful sparks in emerald and golden eyes. 'Pesky youkai! See if I bring you food next time I come tree-whispering!'

"Then," Lady Hitomi spoke after a pause. "We heard the most vicious sounds of growling and snarling. The carriage shook when an unknown force was unleashed around it. We heard fighting again and fear and hope mixed in our hearts once more - there was no mistaking the sounds. Another youkai appeared and we feared that even if it did slay the first one it would go after us next. But then we saw a young woman in miko's clothing approaching the carriage."

Kagome listened to the short relation from her retelling of her meeting with the unfortunate travelers while observing the other people in the room. They quickly realized that the miko had been her and looked towards her. Kagome bowed her head a little, but no one spoke a word, not wanting to disturb the tale. It looked like everyone was caught up in the story: she doubted they'd appreciate it being stopped now. Even the guards by the door, who did their best to appear indifferent, seemed to be enthralled by the story of the lady.

"And then the brave miko led us out of the darkness into the light. Our eyes rested on the bodies of the fallen samurai who had fought so valiantly against a foe an ordinary human can't handle. Then we saw the victor of the second battle, sitting on the fallen tree across the road." Lady Hitomi's eyes moved from Kagome to Inuyasha. The hanyou's ears lowered because everyone else followed her gaze to him. "The spirit of the forest, the youkai protector of this realm of ancient trees came to our aid, at the pure miko's side, to vanquish the vile creature and destroy the Hato clan's plans to ruin the alliance between Hojo and Namoya. Then they led us safely to the Sunset Village, their dwelling, where we found shelter and hospitality."

"This was very fortunate," commented Lord Akitoki with a kind smile and bowed his head in the miko's direction. "The gods sent you to save my bride, I am eternally grateful."

"But it's confusing," Lady Mai spoke with her small voice, barely over a whisper. "Who were the ones mentioned by your cousin, older sister?"

Lady Hitomi turned to look at Hikari, who simply lowered her eyes to the cup of tea she was holding.

"I think I can answer this question, my lady," Kagome said, suspecting the girl didn't want to talk to so many people. "The Iron Fang is the forest spirit." Lady Mai's eyes twinkled when she turned to look at the hanyou and Kagome didn't like the awed expression on her face. It wasn't that the girl was looking at him with disgust or fear. On the contrary, there was awe in her big, innocent eyes, innocent admiration and curiosity.

"It's Tessaiga," Inuyasha muttered and laid his hand briefly on the sheathed sword laying beside him on the mat. He moved slow and replaced his hand to his knee before anyone could get any funny ideas about him grabbing the katana and attacking one of the nobles. "And the Whisperer is the miko," he returned the favor of turning everyone's attention back to Kagome, who blushed faintly and looked down at her lap, not noticing that more than one guard had now their hands on the hilts of their own swords. Inuyasha, on the other hand, noticed, but pretended not to and simply picked up his bowl of rice and chopsticks.

"I'm known to have a great fondness of the forest," Kagome explained. After that Lady Hitomi resumed her tale, describing her stay in the village. Kagome got nervous, unsure what the lady was going to say about the final hours of her brother, but there was no need to be afraid. Lady Hitomi omitted the part where Lord Aki had went to the forest after Kagome and merely said that he had ventured outside of Kaede's barrier and had been attacked there. Kagome noticed that Inuyasha relaxed a little when the tale went on, to the point where the last part of the journey started. Lady Hitomi finished with the meeting with Lord Keichi, who immediately continued with the story of his own meeting of the group.

While Lady Hitomi had praised the miko-hanyou duo and mentioned how kind and cute Shippou had been during their journey, Lord Keichi was mostly talking about Kagome valiantly standing between a rampant wolf youkai and himself. He told the listeners that it was her wisdom what made it possible to end the affair without bloodshed, but pointed out that he was sure that if the wolf had not been willing to obey Kagome a battle would be waged, with him and the youkai companion of the miko protecting the rest of the group. Kagome tensed for a second when she heard a servant girl behind her whispering 'inugami' in a frightened and awed voice. Judging by Inuyasha's ear swiveling her way the hanyou had heard it too. 'You're wrong, I don't hold power over him,' Kagome wanted to say, but bit her tongue. Would it be wise to point out that the youkai sitting next to her was free to do as he pleased to those people? Some of them still looked tense and ready to jump at any sudden move from the forest spirit. Maybe it was safer to let them think what they wanted to think, as long as they didn't want to harm Inuyasha and treated him with respect due to the savior of their lord's son and future daughter?

She glanced at Inuyasha, trying to read his emotions, but he had his usual mild scowl on his face, not showing if he appreciated of being called an inugami or was upset that she didn't correct the humans. She hoped he wasn't offended by them and by her silence. 'We need to talk about it. If he dislikes it I will tell everyone,' she decided.

She just had to find some time when they could talk in peace and without any witnesses. The meeting was soon over and a servant led her to a small, but tidy room where she was going to spend the night. Shippou was with her all the time, already drowsy in her arms. She was walking down a corridor, trying to figure out where Inuyasha went to and if she could have a conversation with him before going to bed. The miko sighed when she found herself standing behind the closed shoji of her room and took in the spread out futon and her bag resting in a corner, beside a low table. She put Shippou on the bedding and was about to undo the tie of her obi when she heard a silent rustle just outside the other shoji, which probably led to another chamber or a corridor located behind her room. She couldn't see the shadow because behind the shoji was no source of light. Here she had only a small candle left by the servant who had led her to her bedchamber.

Kagome looked around, trying to find something she could use to defend herself in case it was someone wanting to attack her. The memory of Lord Aki flashed in her mind and she felt cold shivers running down her spine. There she had been in a familiar place, but unprepared and restricted by the folds of her mantle. Here she was more free to move, but she was in a huge building she didn't know, her only ally at this moment a sleeping child. 'Where's Inuyasha? Will he come if I call?' ran through her mind. 'He's probably outside...' In a single leap she found herself beside her bag, reaching inside it to grasp a short knife.

Just as she turned around, the blade held in front of her, the shoji opened, revealing the person standing behind it. Kagome's muscles went limp when she saw the tall man standing in the doorway, the knife fell to the floor with a thud. 'You!'

"At least you have a weapon, wench," Inuyasha walked in and closed the shoji behind himself before she could see what was behind it. "It wouldn't do you much if I wanted to harm you, but you could fight off a human."

"Inuyasha!" she gasped, relief clear in her voice. "You scared me!" she added and rested her hands on her hips, glaring at him for startling her.

Yellow eyes looked at her with a hint of worry before he gave her a scowl and went to pick up the knife. "Feh!"

"What are you doing here?" she asked. The hanyou looked at her as if she was crazy.

"You ain't thinkin' I'm letting ya sleeping here alone, huh?" he inquired.

"I have Shippou," she gestured to the little kitsune curled under his own fluffy tail. Inuyasha snorted.

"Don't argue, Kagome," he said in a tone of finality. "We have a long day ahead of us."

Kagome stared at him when he sat in an empty corner, Tessaiga resting against his shoulder. 'I guess he doesn't want to be alone and would feel better knowing his friends are safe... I just hope no one notices he's spending the night here and gets any funny idea...' she noticed the hanyou's ears twitch and suddenly blushed when a memory of falling asleep nestled against Inuyasha's side in the cave the previous night came to her mind. 'He had been so warm, it was so nice. I hope I could sleep like this again one day... Oh! Bad Kagome!' she felt the heat spread across her cheeks and quickly looked away.

"A-at least turn around so I can undress! You don't think I'm going to just strip in front of you, huh?" she stuttered, trying to hide her embarrassment. The hanyou glanced at her and then quickly obeyed, his cheeks deep pink. Kagome stood still for a second, but he was motionlessly waiting for her sign she was done. Sure he wouldn't peek, she shed her outer robe and hakama, put out the candle and slid under the blankets. She pulled Shippou under the covers thinking that, even if highly improper, it was actually nice to have Inuyasha staying in her room. With him standing guard she had nothing to fear. She was not in a dangerous place, she knew it, but still, there were so many strangers, she felt a little lost.

'I guess it's not only for his peace of mind, but mine too,' she thought when she saw Inuyasha resume his position against the wall. She snuggled deeper in the warmth of the blankets.

"Will you be comfortable like that?" she asked, bitting her bottom lip, her voice soft.

"Feh, don't worry about that," he replied, in the darkness she could barely make out his hair and glowing yellow eyes.

"Inuyasha?" she asked after a minute of silence, trying to find the best way to voice what she wanted to say. He grunted. "Is it... I mean... They called you an inugami... My inugami... Do you... Does that offend you? I mean I figured out it'd be less... I..."

"Stop, Kagome," the words were harsh, but his tone was softer. "I don't care what they call me. Inugami isn't the worst that had been thrown my way. As long as you and the villagers from the villages in my forest know what I am I don't care what the humans outside of my domain call me."

Kagome shifted in her bed. 'The mysterious forest spirit, the protector, the guardian against the vile youkai, this is what you are to them,' she thought and felt warmth spread in her chest when she added in her mind. 'And for me you are my friend, my one and only Inuyasha.'

"I guess I'm half inugami anyway, so it's not like they're far from the truth," he added, his tone indifferent. "And this way the pesky humans seem to be less inclined to gather pitchforks and torches. But you can tell them the truth if you want to. The first reiki user who sees me will know I'm a half-breed anyway."

"Inu-"

"And when someone has a problem I'm keeping guard in your room I can tell them to fuck off cuz it's an inugami's job to guard its mistress," Kagome scowled at the smugness in his voice, but then grinned herself.

"This one is deeply honored to be guarded by the most honorable forest spirit," she assured him.

"Shut up and go to sleep, wench!"

Kagome giggled and closed her eyes, drifting to sleep with the knowledge her friends were close and a certain hanyou was going to drag her out of bed the first thing in the morning.

.

But it turned out their plans weren't to be.

When Kagome woke up she saw Inuyasha standing in the same shoji he had came through, his back towards her. His ears were perked up, swiveling slowly this way and that.

"Inuyasha?" she whispered sleepily and rubbed her eyes. The hanyou looked back at her.

"It's snowing. It started an hour ago," he growled out. The shoji slid open a little, just to let in Shippou. The boy held a piece of meat and was chewing on it.

"I found the kitchen," he said and lifted his meal. "And I got this! They'll bring us breakfast , Kagome!" He happily ran to her futon and jumped on her legs.

"Trust the fox to find the food," Inuyasha eyed the piece of meat in Shippou's grasp. The kitsune quickly shoved it in his mouth as far as it could go. "Feh."

Kagome giggled at Shippou's antics and stroked his hair.

"Good morning, Shippou. Eat peacefully, I won't let him steal your treat," she assured him.

"Keh, he stole it first," Inuyasha shrugged and turned his back on them, his ears turning and twitching as he was listening to everything in his hearing range.

"I didn't steal it, promise!" Shippou looked at the hanyou and then at the miko. "I got it from Kiki, she's working in the kitchen and I got her a big bunch of flowers!"

"Oh, that's very nice," Kagome praised the boy and stroked his hair again "Okay, Inuyasha, stay right there, I'm going to dress before the breakfast comes."

"I don't like this," Inuyasha muttered.

"Huh?" Kagome froze with one hand outstretched to reach for her clothes.

"There's a lot of snow falling. And yesterday it didn't smell like it was going to be snowing like this today," the hanyou elaborated, his back still turned on her.

A minute later a servant with the food came and the groups ate in silence. Then Kagome was summoned to Lady Hitomi and Shippou went with her. Inuyasha went to investigate the weather - there was no way they could leave and it was obvious he wasn't happy about it. Kagome just sighed and resigned herself to their fate, thankful that Lady Hitomi told her they could stay as long as they wanted.

It was a nice day First Kagome was with her lady friend, admiring all the gifts from her future husband and his family. While drinking tea made by Hikari she could see beautiful kimonos and hair ornaments and she was happy for the other girl. Shippou was joking and often attempting to transform in animals depicted on the high-quality silk of Lady Hitomi's new robes - cranes, sparrows and koi fishes. While they had fun the forest spirit sat outside, glaring at the falling snow. There was no wind, the veil of big, fluffy snowflakes was so thick it was hard to see the gate of the palace from its front steps.

At some point of the day Lady Mai approached the forest spirit with a cup of tea. She was asking him questions about his life as a youkai, but she didn't learn much - Inuyasha accepted the drink, but practically ignored the young lady, who so bravely approached him. After failing at getting answers from Inuyasha Lady Mai joined her future sister-in-law and other female companions, focusing her attention on Kagome and demanding tales about her village and the life of a miko.

After a light mid-day meal Kagome was stolen from Lady Hitomi's presence by Lord Keichi. Apparently, the young lord had sorted his herb findings with the palace healer and wanted to see if Kagome knew any of those he hadn't have a chance to show her earlier. Then both males - the young Lord Hojo and the old healer - led her to their storage room for herbs, where the whole trio spent time till the dinner, sharing knowledge and learning from each other. Some of the herbs the old healer gave Kagome, obviously glad that he had a chance to talk about his work with someone else than Lord Keichi. Shippou was dozing off under a table, bored by all their talking, but refusing to part with her.

Kagome and her youkai friends ate dinner in her room, since it wasn't a big deal like the previous day and they weren't expected to eat with the nobles. Kagome felt happy to sit in silence and eat, finding relief in the calm atmosphere of their room after hours spent with chatty people. But the pleasant feelings soon disappeared when she finally could observe her youkai friend for a longer while.

Shippou seemed to be happy and a little tired after an eventful day. The palace was as new to him as it was to Kagome. Everything looked so different from what she knew, even their meal was more fancy than what she was used to eat at home. The kitsune was just glancing at the hanyou from time to time, as if to make sure he wasn't up to any mischief, which was unusual. It was usually Shippou who would pull pranks on Inuyasha, putting illusions on his bowls. All Inuyasha could do was to steal some tasty treats from the kid if he thought he was eating too slow or got distracted.

The first sign that something was wrong was that Inuyasha wasn't eating. Instead he was sitting with a bowl of rice in his hand, forgotten chopsticks thrust in the food. His body was tense, his eyes half-lidded as he was focusing more on his senses of smell and hearing. His ears were twitching and his nose was moving with every deep inhale. She could see his scowl deepen with every passing minute.

Finally she couldn't bear the silence and the fact she had no idea what was wrong. Everyone at the castle was polite, no one dared to glare their way. They were bound to stay here for the time being, but it wasn't like they were in hurry or unwanted. Sure, the castle folk felt nervous around Inuyasha, because he was an adult youkai, but also because all he had been doing was scowling and glaring.

"Inuyasha?" she asked, drawing the attention of both youkai. The hanyou's eyes were hard to read, Shippou's were hopeful.

"The full moon is in five days," he growled. Kagome frowned, puzzled by his words.

"Yes, but what of it?" She felt confused. Shippou remained quiet at her side, for a while forgetting about his own meal.

"Remember what happened the last one?" Inuyasha asked in annoyance. She opened her mouth to answer him, quickly browsing her memories. 'The last full moon bandits attacked my village and he came to defend us.' She thought about the dread she had felt, the pain and hopelessness of the crowd of women and children. Images of white dogs tearing out the bandits' throats appeared before her mind's eye while the eerie sound of the howl of the forest spirit was the only sound she could remember.

"You saved my village," she said, her voice calm. 'He doesn't think I'm afraid of him because of that, right?' Kagome scanned Inuyasha's face, but it remained frozen in a scowl.

"Feh, stupid wench, you know nothing," he put the bowl on the floor in front of him, so he could stuff his hands in his sleeves. "We're not staying here for the full moon, even if I have to drag you back to my forest in the blizzard."

"Don't call me stupid, stupid!" Kagome growled at him, frustrated because he didn't want to tell her what was wrong. "And I am not going anywhere in this cold, I'll freeze before we reach the village! There is no danger here. No one wants to chase us away, despite all your worries. Can't you just try to relax?"

Shippou's emerald eyes went from Kagome's flushed face and sparkling eyes to the face of the hanyou, who was glaring her way. They were sharing fierce looks for a minute before the forest spirit turned his head away.

"Keh!"

"If you don't tell me what's wrong I can't help you. And I want to help, so tell me what's up." Kagome demanded, not moving her eyes from him. One ear twitched her way and a few seconds later Inuyasha sighed, probably admitting defeat because his body sagged and he just picked his sword from the mat beside him to put it across his lap. She really wanted to know what was wrong, but knew it was better to give him time to collect his words first. She knew he'd close off if she tried to nudge him too early. 'Discussing anything with him is like a trial of patience from the gods,' Kagome thought, trying to find some amusement in this. To her relief Shippou resumed eating, she pushed her own bowl of miso his way and smiled when he looked up at her. The boy needed food to grow, it seemed he needed a lot of energy, just like human children his age.

"I'm a half-breed," the forest spirit stated in a low voice, his gaze falling to the sword. "

"A hanyou," Kagome cut in. "Don't think we think less of you because of that. You're not an abomination or anything, Inuyasha."

"Feh, you're the only one who doesn't think I'm a weak mutt." Inuyasha glanced her way.

"She's right," Shippou said. "You're rude and violent, but you're pretty strong, especially for a hanyou."

"Says the pipsqueak who bragged he was a great full youkai, so much better than the one who was supposed to take him in his care," Inuyasha growled. Shippou forgot about his meal, jumping to his paws.

"I at least can admit that I was wrong with something, you big- aaah!" The fox saw that the dog jumped to his feet and ran away. It was the first time during their stay in the palace Kagome saw Inuyasha leave Tessaiga behind. Kagome watched them run around the room for a while. 'I'm glad Shippou could see past the usual stuff youkai think about hanyous. Thanks to this they both got a friend,' she thought. 'But it still doesn't answer why Inuyasha's like this.'

With a deft hand Kagome snatched Shippou from the air while he was jumping from one place to another. Inuyasha barely avoided falling into the dishes when he tried to not collide with the miko, who now held his prey in her lap.

"Thanks, Kagome!" Shippou sighed in relief.

"You didn't answer my question, Inuyasha. If you do, I'll let you chase Shippou for a while longer," Kagome said, pretending to be more amused and playful than she really was. Shippou squeaked and buried himself deeper in her lap. Inuyasha glanced at her and sighed, sitting down with his legs crossed. He put his sword back in his lap.

"Hanyous aren't born often because most females don't want to birth them," he stated it as a plain fact. "And the hanyous, who are born are usually killed shortly after that."

Kagome nodded to show she was listening. She could remember Myoga saying something along the lines of Inuyasha being one of the oldest hanyous alive.

"And the other reason there are so few hanyous who reach the age of more than two decades is because our youkai blood." Inuyasha didn't look happy he was sharing this with her, often pausing for a minute before continuing. "Once in a while a hanyou's inner youkai grows stronger, making them assume the form closest to their youkai part and causes their youki grow - for a while. As the hanyou gets stronger so does their youkai. Until one day the youkai doesn't recede. For me it's the full moon."

"Are you saying that all hanyous will eventually become youkai?" Kagome asked. Inuyasha shook his head and scowled at her.

"We do, in a way. Our scent changes to one of a full youkai, our youki is much more powerful. Only we don't have any control over our instincts and our youkai blood devours our humanity. Basically we become crazy bloodthirsty monsters who won't stop until we're dead or return to being normal again. Some of us go to slay helpless people until someone kills us, others kill themselves after waking up from their first transformation and realizing that they had slaughtered someone they loved. Very rarely a hanyou can pass his thirtieth birthday without losing control over his youkai at least once. Besides the time we always change, the transformation can be caused by severe wounds. Humans and youkai despise us not only because we are tainted with the other race's blood, but bringing misfortune is in our nature."

"Dramatic much?" mumbled Shippou. Inuyasha only growled at him.

"But you're much older than thirty. You must be really strong to keep your youkai in check every full moon," Kagome smiled, her voice soothing. The hanyou snorted.

"Nope. I was lucky, because my old man left me this." He pointed to Tessaiga. "It was sealing my youkai. I could draw from it when I had to fight during a full moon. Like the last time - I had markings on my cheeks and red eyes. right?"

"Um, yeah..." Kagome nodded, remembering the feral look on his face when he had tore a bandit's heart out.

"You don't even know how close I was from snapping and despite Tessaiga's influence on me slaughtering all of you," he growled and looked away. "It's harder to control when I'm fighting."

"I see." Kagome smiled at him. "You want to get home for the full moon, so you don't transform around other people, correct? But you told yourself that the sword prevents the transformation and there surely won't be any fighting..."

"Feh, I don't know if Tessaiga's seal works anymore," he growled. "So I want to get you home so I don't come after you, wench."

"Hey, what about me?" Shippou looked at his guardian.

"You're going to stay at Kagome's, brat. You won't stand a chance. You both won't. So you will stay away until the midday of the day after the full moon, got it?" Shippou mutely nodded.

"But why do you think Tessaiga's seal wouldn't hold?" Kagome asked, looking from Inuyasha to the sword.

"It pulsed with my old man's youki, like the barrier around the den," he explained. "Now it's attuned to mine. You remember that it transformed for me?

"Yes." Kagome noticed the worried glance he gave Tessaiga, his hand gripped the hilt tighter. Kagome took in the vision in front of her, the tense young man looking at his weapon with his face frozen in the look of determination and concern. His ears quivered when she spoke again. "Can't we test it? To see if the seal holds?"

"Stupid," he barked at her, looking up to glare her way. "To do that I must transform and that ain't happening around you two!"

"But..." Kagome started. "Inuyasha, if the snow doesn't stop falling we're stuck here. You can't go back to your den on weather like that. There's nothing we can do."

The yellow eyes of the forest spirit were boring into her. Something twinkled in those eyes, but was replaced by annoyance and determination before Kagome could decipher it.

"We're going home," he stated. "And I'll see how the seal works during the full moon. You two aren't allowed to go in my forest until I say you can come."

"But..." Shippou started, but fell silent when Kagome pointed her finger at Inuyasha.

"Listen here! If the weather doesn't change we're staying. And no matter what we're not leaving you to figure this seal stuff on your own." Her voice softened when she added. "You're not alone anymore. We will surely find a solution. Don't worry."

She hoped this assurance would help, make him calm down and start thinking reasonably. For a second she thought she did it- his flattened ears kicked forward, his gaze softened a little. She smiled at him softly, trying to put in this simple expression all the feelings of trust, friendship and will to help him in any way she could. It was met with a deep scowl and guarded eyes.

"This is my weakness, I'll deal with it, wench," he growled and stood up. "I'll go check the area."

"Inuyasha, wait!" she called after him, but he was already gone. She huffed and glared at the closed shoji as if the hanyou could somehow sense how annoyed she was at him for leaving like this. When she heard soft rustling on her other side she looked at Shippou, who stood up and laid his little hand on her thigh.

"He's just stupid and stubborn," he said. "You'll see, he won't drag you away in a blizzard. I won't let him," he put his other hand on his chest. Kagome smiled at his show of protectiveness and bent down to kiss the top of his head.

"Thank you, Shippou," she whispered. "But I think there's more to it than him just being stubborn."

While they prepared for bed she couldn't stop but think over everything she had learned during this short talk with the forest spirit. She was glad that Inuyasha told her about his concerns about the seal and his monthly transformations. It took him a while to voice them, but when he got to it he managed to do it just fine. 'He sees it as a weakness, this uncertainty about what is going to happen,' the miko mused as she brushed her hair. Behind her Shippou curled up in her bed. 'He thinks he's going to transform...' Kagome remembered the frightening events of the previous full moon and the sudden appearance of the forest spirit. 'Would I be able to help him regain control if he does? Is the seal really not going to keep his youkai blood in check?' Inuyasha was predicting it wouldn't and he seemed almost panicked, stuck in the Hojo palace with his friends and a bunch of other people. Kagome stood up and curled in the bed beside the kitsune, thinking about the worst possible scenario. She had heard stories about youkai, who lived for years beside humans to suddenly go feral and slaughter whole villages. Was Inuyasha fearing he would become feral like them?

Slowly the young healer let her thoughts wander to less troubling thoughts while the comfy and warm bedding helped her body to relax. When some time later she heard the shoji slid open she was awake enough to realize it was just Inuyasha sneaking in, but didn't engage him in a conversation again. She was simply thankful he decided to return. She felt much better with him. 'Tomorrow we will talk and find a way to deal with all of it. I'm sure in the morning the snow won't be falling and if Inuyasha's still in a bad mood and worried about his transformation we will go home...'

In her dream the full moon was shining over the Forest of Inuyasha, basking everything in eerie light and reflecting on soft mounds of pure snow. She was standing on top of one of such mounds, Shippou clinging to her leg, sheathed Tessaiga in her hands. Under the foot of the small hill stood Inuyasha, his back turned on her. She called his name softly and he turned around to look at her. His amber eyes were now blood red with blue irises, two jagged markings on his cheeks. His ears swiveled to focus on the pair in front of him when Shippou yipped softly. A wide smirk spread on Inuyasha's lips and suddenly Kagome realized she didn't feel cold. On the contrary, she felt hot, heat radiating from behind her. She looked over her shoulder and gasped when she saw her village burning and under attack - just like she remembered it from the night when she had undid Inuyasha's arrow, setting him free. She felt the sane emotions of fear and hopelessness, the knowledge that she wasn't able to do anything to do anything. But then she felt a familiar youki pulsing near her and saw that Inuyasha approached her. She offered him a smile and then outstretched her hands, giving him back his sword. The forest spirit took a minute to observe her face with those odd eyes, as if he was looking for something. His hand lifted and she bit her bottom lip, uncertain what he was going to do, but trusting - hoping - he would take the blade from her and turn back.

Before he could do anything more a distant sound of something crashing and collapsing roused her from her slumber and Kagome sat up with a gasp. The sound was real, it wasn't a part of her dream. She could hear screams that followed it, distant as they might be. Shippou and Inuyasha were both awake, the hanyou walking to the door. To her surprise the hanyou waited just outside the room for them t dress and the trio together went to investigate.

It turned out a roof in a servant part of the compound collapsed. Luckily it wasn't any of the sleeping areas, so there were no causalities, but it still reminded everyone that the snow was piling up above their heads and if it was going to fall for much longer more roofs would collapse. Almost all men were sent to the roofs to shovel the white stuff off them, the ruined part of the compound was going to be cleaned on a later time. Kagome was awed by the calmness of the old lord, who, despite being startled and worried, was giving orders to others with calm voice full of authority. Under his care the work was going on efficiently. It took some coaxing, but Kagome managed to make Inuyasha aid the men in their task, his strength, stamina and resistance to cold way greater than any human's. The sudden help from the miko's 'inugami' was surprising to the people, but no one complained, especially when they saw how fast he was working. 


	25. At the Gate

My amazing Beta: sunshineisdelicious

* * *

 **At the Gate**

* * *

The snow was still falling when the morning came but it was no longer a thick wet curtain. It was more like light fluffy veil of white, dancing on the light breeze. But it was much colder now and everyone in the palace had all their warm clothes on. Well, all beside Inuyasha, who still wore no shoes and snorted at the completely new pair of tabi Kagome offered him at some point. According to him socks were stupid, constraining and not for real youkai. This statement prompted Shippou to take off his own tabi which he had put on only a minute earlier. Which, in turn, prompted Kagome to glare at them both before the duo fled the room.

To her surprise Inuyasha didn't drag her out of her bed to the wild cold forest just after the sunrise. He was just scowling in a foul mood at everyone and at the sky. When Kagome approached him after breakfast and asked about his plans he spat that he was still going to drag her sorry butt out so she should move and say goodbye to her friends. Kagome wasted a long while on a stare battle with him before she finally gave up. She understood why he was so adamant about leaving and the weather seemed to improve some. Only the biting cold was going to be hard to bear, but Kagome hoped that they'd manage. Between the always warm kitsune, her thick mantle and the forest spirit's body she hoped she'd get enough heat. Akiro was going to stay in the village, where he had a family, so it'd be just the three of them returning to Kaede's village. Inuyasha already made it clear he was going to carry his companions all the way and Kagome was grateful for that, knowing the hanyou'd be much faster than any mortal being could be.

"If it will make you feel better we can head out, but if I get cold you will pay for it. And don't think you're going to stay alone for the full moon." Kagome waved a finger at the forest spirit, wanting to reassure him, but at the same time show her displeasure with his choice.

"Feh," was his grumpy reply before he looked away. The miko left him to himself. Kagome found Lady Hitomi with all the ladies sitting around a small heater in the ladies rooms. They all were focused on sewing and preparing the last things for the wedding. They were chatting among themselves like all women would during a sewing meeting. Lady Hitomi seemed to be in her element and Hikari was serving her, shy and silent as always. Kagome bowed to the future Lady Hojo and said her goodbye and wishes of happy marriage. She didn't explain why they were leaving and the lady didn't ask, only voicing that she hoped to see Kagome and her friends again soon. Afterwards Kagome bowed again and left the room, highly aware of the ladies observing her and of the fact she wasn't as graceful and pretty as they were. For them she was but a commoner, a miko, but still nobody special. Only Lady Hitomi held real kindness towards the miko, but it was alright, Kagome didn't care because she was pretty sure it was the last time she saw them.

When Kagome slid the shoji shut she took a moment to breathe deeply the cool air in the corridor. She almost jumped when she heard a sudden voice from behind the paper-thin door.

"The lady miko was a nice person. Its a pity she can't stay to witness the wedding, my lady," said one of the ladies. "But I can't help to be glad the youkai are leaving."

Kagome froze when she heard a few hums of agreement. 'They're talking about us...?'

"The boy was cute, but the inugami was scary," added another one, by the sound of it, much younger than the previous one.

"And youkai at the wedding could bring bad luck," this time it was a much older voice, Kagome bit her bottom lip. 'I guess it might be true, but Shippou is just a kid and Inuyasha is a benevolent youkai. They couldn't bring bad luck.'

"They are my friends," said Lady Hitomi, her voice soft, but firm. "I owe them my life and Hikari's. Even if the forest spirit is a gruff man, he is honorable. And he isn't an inugami. He's a free youkai," Kagome heard a loud gasp from the listening females. 'Well, now they know,' she thought and stood up carefully and silently. "Don't worry, hes a benevolent one." Kagome heard before quietly walking away. She was glad that Lady Hitomi spoke on their behalf, defended them against the other women. Still, she wasn't sure they would believe her. They didn't know Inuyasha and assumed that he was dangerous because of his distant and gruff attitude and the fact that he wasn't under Kagome's control. The miko just shook her head, suddenly feeling tired.

She quickly made her way to her room to find there both her youkai friends and her things packed and ready. The benevolent youkai was glaring at her impatiently.

"Finally!" was the greeting she got from Inuyasha before being enfolded in a thick, heavy mantle with long fur on the inside. The hanyou wrapped it around her before picking up the bag with her things and food. Shippou, who had been sitting on the bag, didn't bother to let go of his seat and just climbed up to Inuyasha's shoulder when the forest spirit was adjusting the strap of the bag on his shoulder.

"I guess we're ready to go," Kagome murmured, amused by the eagerness of her friends to get out. Her smile faded when she remembered it meant spending long time outside in the cold. 'At least the mantle is much warmer than my old one,' she thought as she walked behind the hanyou to the exit. He led her not to the main entrance, but to one designed for servants. It didn't surprise her. After all she was just a village miko. She had been amazed that she had been given a guest room for the stay.

They were just by the door when a servant girl came up running behind them.

"Lady miko, lord inugami!" Kagome looked back at the girl, ignoring Inuyasha's half amused, half annoyed snort.

"What is it?" she asked politely, smiling at the girl who appeared just a little than ten years old. The girl presented her with a small, thin box.

"Lady Mai wishes to gift this to the lord inugami and you," the servant girl said, obviously preferring to talk to a smiling miko than a scowling youkai. Before Kagome could answer the girl pulled the lid of the box away, revealing three thin things wrapped in paper with their names written in kanji.

"What's it?" Inuyasha asked, sniffing at the box and cringing. The girl glanced at him with fear, but didn't move away when the hanyou reached in the box and took out of it the pack signed with his name. With a flick of his claws he cut the paper, revealing a pair of silver chopsticks. "Huh?"

Kagome couldn't help but smile at the puzzled expression on his face. Shippou on her shoulder moved a little so he could examine the thing Inuyasha held in his claws. Kagome was speechless for a moment, chopsticks was a rather common gift, but silver ones were expensive and only nobles used them. She hoped hers were less extravagant. And at the same time she felt a bit angry at the young lady for giving such an expensive gift to her hanyou friend. After all, all she could give him was some food. Still, it wouldn't be polite to refuse the present, so Kagome put on her best miko face.

"We are honored to accept the gift of the lady," Kagome said and extracted the chopsticks from Inuyasha's grasp, put them back in the box and gently closed it. "Although it is far too generous gift for us. Give our thanks to your lady."

The girl gave a relieved smile, bowed and fled, probably to tell her lady her answer. Kagome handed the box to the curious kitsune.

"Will you guard it, Shippou?" she asked.

"Yeah," Shippou hid the box in one of the many pouches he had on his obi. Kagome grinned, seeing that the big object slid inside a bag not bigger than her palm with ease - knowing the fox youkai kind the pouch could fit her own bag and ten more. The boy gave her a proud smile. Kagome patted his shoulder and finally turned to face Inuyasha. His expression was indication he was not sure what had just happened.

"It is not polite to recline a gift from a friend," Kagome said and resumed walking to the door. "The gift we got is a pretty expensive one, so next time we meet Lady Mai try to be nicer to her," Kagome said to Inuyasha, who shrugged.

Soon they were outside and Kagome wrapped herself tightly in the mantle, happy that she had Shippou's warmth around her neck. Inuyasha glanced back at her and gave a small nod, then he started to lead the way through the yard and out of the gate, obviously choosing the shortest way to get to the dark line of the forest. Kagome was a bit surprised he didn't insist on carrying her, but she figured out he didn't want to do it when there were people watching them. And there were quite a few - the Hojo guards were all following Inuyasha's movements as they were nearing the open gate. Kagome was just glad to see that Inuyasha seemed a bit more calm now, when they started their journey back. She was still determined to spend the full moon at his side, but if he felt more secure in his den...

The village was half-buried under the snow and Kagome saw many people working on uncovering various roofs and clearing paths. Everything was covered by snow and Kagome was grateful it was no longer so windy and that the blizzard was now almost non existent. Kagome looked up to examine the low hanging clouds and almost ran into Inuyasha's back.

"Wha-" the miko looked from behind the hanyou at the thing he was looking at, noticing how tense he became in a mere moment. Her hand immediately lifted to cover her mouth.

A huge white boar was walking through the snow-covered fields. Its blue eyes were indifferent as it was ignoring the startled and scared humans fleeing to their homes. It was headed straight for the palace. And the couple of travelers a couple of meters away from the gate.

On the boar's back sat a fragile-looking woman. Her white wedding kimono was fluttering on the wind. Her hair was as black as the night, flowing down her back, contrasting with her white skin. Her eyes, blue like ice, focused on Kagome peeking from behind Inuyasha's back, instantly making the girl shiver. Inuyasha growled a warning when the boar stopped in front of him, mere meters from the gate of the palace. Kagome could hear people moving behind her, probably some guards preparing to fight if the youkai was going to attack. 'And all that stands between this youkai is Inuyasha and I. And little Shippou.' The feeling of uselessness flooded her when she looked at the huge frost boar, much bigger than the one she had seen a few months ago. She knew she wouldn't stand a chance against it, not even thinking about facing the yuki onna sitting on its back.

"Are you the bride, human girl?" asked the woman. "The one who dares to wed when I, Kanashimi no Yuki, the ninth of the Nine Snows, am in this area?"

"Who, me?" asked the surprised miko. She didn't expect that kind of a question from the snow woman. "Oh, no, I'm not."

"That's fortunate for you," the youkai replied, the tone of her voice cool. "This means I won't kill you today."

"As if I'd let you harm her," Inuyasha growled. The female's pale blue eyes turned his way and something akin to anger twinkled in them. She was very beautiful, like an expensive doll, but beside the anger in her eyes there were no emotions in her face.

"You have no right to speak to your betters, mutt," the youkai hissed, her mount puffing out of its mouth a cloud of frozen air in Inuyasha's general direction as a thinly veiled threat. The forest spirit growled.

"Um..." Kagome gripped the back of Inuyasha's robe tightly. "What do you have against Lady Hitomi's wedding?" the miko asked. She knew that her duty was to fend off the vile youkai and to mediate between the neutral or good ones and the humans. Of course, some would say all youkai were evil and should be attacked and slain on the spot, but Kaede had raised Kagome differently. It was probably due to the fact that they lived in Inuyasha's Forest, an area which had been protected by a youkai for many decades before a miko had sealed him away, letting bandits and lower youkai attack the village.

The yuki onna's eyes blazed with ire when she looked back at the petite miko partially hidden behind the hanyou, both still blocking her way to the palace where the bride was supposedly hiding.

"This one shall take her life, along with the life of her groom, for insulting me," the youkai stated coldly. "For this one was once a human woman, who was in love and was betrayed by her groom, left to die in the snow. This one shall not stand another marrying." Kagome could hear some of the guards making shocked noises at the statement. "If other humans will cooperate I may leave them alive."

"That's just fucking stupid. You got your sorry ass dumped and now you're jealous of every wench that gets married? You're full of yourself, you pathetic bitch." Inuyasha exclaimed, voicing Kagome's thoughts on the matter - well, maybe in more rude words.

And this comment was what made the chaos break loose.

Ten minutes, three sheds closest to the castle gate, one wing of the said gate and several injured humans later Kagome found herself hiding behind what was left of the gate, wrapping an injured guard's leg as fast as she could. He had his thigh punctured by one of the boar's tusks when he had tried to charge at it. It had been already seriously wounded from Inuyasha's claws, but was still dangerous and strong enough to keep all the guards who tried to kill it with their spears at bay.

'Stupid Inuyasha!' Kagome thought yet again. Just as Inuyasha had voiced his opinion on the yuki onna, her boar roared in rage and launched itself at him, intending to stampede the insolent hanyou. Only by grabbing Kagome and jumping away Inuyasha had managed to prevent that. Then he had dumped the miko on the ground just beside the gate, had turned around and, with his own battle cry, he attacked the huge boar, dodging an ice spear the yuki onna had thrown his way.

Lord Hojo and his three sons had arrived shortly after, but the space in front of the gate had been already torn to pieces, some of the warriors already wounded from their attempts to fend off the boar who had been trying to tear the gate to pieces while its mistress had been fighting Inuyasha, using an ice spear against the Tessaiga.

Lord Keichi had immediately started helping Kagome in treating the injured while his brothers and father had assumed the positions of leaders of the rest of the guards, blocking the gate from the white boar, who was now bleeding not only from wounds inflicted by claws, but also spears and arrows. Kagome thanked the gods no one got into the deadly clouds of freezing air coming out of the boar's mouth.

The reason for this was partially because they were trying to approach it from it's sides, but also because Shippou was aiding them, using his fox fire to extinguish the innocent-looking clouds. Some men were scared of the blue fire flying here and there, but luckily none tried to harm the little kitsune.

And there was also the fight Kagome could only hear - the battle going on behind the palace wall. Kagome dreaded the moment she would have to go and see what the fighters had managed to tear down so far. From the sound of it it could be a half of the village.

Suddenly the ground under her feet shook and Kagome looked up in alarm, just to see the boar laying just in front of the gate, its blue blood flowing from multiple wounds. One of the guards had his pike embedded in the beast's chest and Kagome suspected that his weapon was what finally took the boar's life. The humans were silent for a moment before exclaiming in joy, Lord Hojo even patted the brave man on his shoulder.

"Kagome!" Shippou's light weight descended on her shoulder and the young miko stood up. "We took the pig down!"

"You were very helpful," she praised the little kitsune, who preened while she made her way around the fallen boar, following some others. All of them wanted to see the fight between the forest spirit and the yuki onna who had came to kill the lady and her groom.

When Kagome walked around the bulk of the fallen youkai's body she stopped, feeling a mix of awe and apprehension. There they were, a man in red, with silver hair flowing behind him, and a female in white, with black waterfall of silken strands fanning around her. Tessaiga and a ice-blue spear were glistering around them, reflecting sunlight in every direction as both weapons were moving almost too fast for Kagome to see them move. Both youkai were ferocious in their attempts to kill the other, determined to be the victor. From time to time an insult would leave one's mouth, just to be replied with another from their opponent.

Kagome didn't know much about sword- or spear-fighting, but she could see that Inuyasha was at a disadvantage. The yuki onna was faster than him and - to Kagome - she seemed to be more skilled with her weapon. The only reason the forest spirit was keeping his ground was because he was physically stronger and too stubborn.

Shippou gripped her mantle tighter when Inuyasha stumbled back and dove under the spear just in time to keep his head on his shoulders. A few guards gasped at the fast action, but Kagome didn't waste more time on watching her friend fight alone.

The young miko found a bow and an arrow left on the ground by one of the guards. She focused her whole being on the arrowhead, knowing that she'd have only one chance. She didn't fool herself, she knew that her arrow wouldn't do much damage to the youkai, but she hoped it would provide enough distraction for Inuyasha to land a killing blow.

Shippou moved so his body wouldn't disturb her balance and some of the men around her stepped to the sides after noticing her action. Kagome barely noticed that, focused on her reiki and on the fight in front of her. 'Hit the mark and don't hit Inuyasha,' she prayed before letting the arrow fly.

At that very moment the fighting youkai were in a stationary position, their blades crossed between them as they tried to push the other back. Inuyasha's ear flickered back towards the little crowd of people by the gate. The next second he was kneeling, Tessaiga held up and blocking the spear, leaving the yuki onna wide open for a single, glowing pale pink arrow.

When the youkai noticed the missile she tried to block it with her spear. but as spoon as she lessened the pressure on the hanyou's blade and deflected the arrow he sprung to his feet and slashed his sword across her chest. The female youkai cried out in pain and rage, but she dropped her spear.

Kagome gasped when she saw her friend on his knees, but quickly realized he was not overpowered, he just let her arrow fly above his head and then followed it with Tessaiga. Shippou and some people behind her actually cheered when they saw the forest spirit jump up and cut the enemy.

The next moment Inuyasha thrust his blade in the yuki onna's chest and followed the woman to the ground when she fell on her back, cursing him. Kagome wanted to run to help him, but the fight wasn't over yet. Inuyasha pinned his opponent, holding one of her wrists, but this made him vulnerable to her other hand.

The yuki onna let out an evil laugh when a short spike of ice appeared in her grip and she wasted no time in embedding it in Inuyasha's back. The forest spirit cursed in pain and leaned his head to her throat.

"Wha-?" Kagome blinked at this, confused as probably the rest of the gathered watchers. The youkai woman exclaimed in pain while the hanyou leaning over her shook his head violently. Everyone could hear her scream changing into a gurgling noise while her hand let go of her spike and tried to pry his head away from her throat when she trashed fruitlessly.

After an especially sharp move of Inuyasha's the body of the yuki onna went limp and her noises silenced.

When Inuyasha finally straightened his back and looked at the humans many of them paled and took a step back, obviously afraid of what the forest spirit was going to do now. Even Kagome was stunned to see the feral look in his eyes and the pale blue liquid covering his mouth, chin and nose.

"Good gods," breathed the old Lord Hojo, who was standing near Kagome. "He... Did he...?"

The forest spirit glared at the crowd before standing up, spitting the yuki onna's blood out, wiped his face clean with his sleeve and then reaching behind his shoulder to remove her spike. He winced, but said nothing. He removed his sword from the corpse and sheathed it, his eyes focusing on Kagome.

The young miko took a step forward. A warm hand gripped her wrist and she looked to the side to see Lord Keichi.

"Uh... Lord Hojo?"

"Lady miko, he's dangerous," he whispered, as if thinking he could speak quiet enough for the forest spirit not to hear him. A pair of twitching ears made it clear Inuyasha heard him.

"He saved your family, Lord Hojo," Kagome said firmly. She felt a little dizzy after witnessing the fight and exerting her reiki, but she wanted to make sure there wouldn't be any misunderstanding. "You can ask your guards, the yuki onna wanted to kill Lady Hitomi and your brother. Besides I have nothing to fear."

Lord Hojo, a fellow healer she had learned to like, gave her an almost pleading glance before letting go of her hand.

"I trust your judgment, miko Kagome. You have to have an immense power to control such an inugami," he commented. Shippou snickered from her shoulder.

"Actually, I don't control Inuyasha," she smiled soothingly at the stunned man. She had said it to Lady Hitomi, so the information would reach his ears sooner or later anyway.

"Oi, Kagome!" Inuyasha called from his spot. "Stop dawdling, we wasted enough time as it is!"

He sounded annoyed and Kagome could just sigh and shake her head.

"Coming!" she said, trying to sound relaxed and a bit amused at his impatience. Lord Hojo, the father, bowed his head a little in her and Inuyasha's general direction.

"We are thankful for your help," he said, his voice showing the depth of his surprise when he voiced his polite thanks. Inuyasha didn't bother, but Kagome bowed to the old lord and thanked him for his hospitality before following the forest spirit.

She could sense everyone staring at her and Inuyasha's backs. Shippou snuck in her hood to hide from the humans' eyes, hugging her neck awkwardly. She could practically sense Inuyasha's tensed muscles when she walked alongside him, his youki oddly stiff around his body. She tried to focus and sense his feelings, but she didn't feel much more than annoyance.

But she also felt much more, just not from Inuyasha. She could sense -even if faintly - Shippou's anxiety and relief. She could also sense a mixture of swirling emotions somewhere behind her back - apprehension, fear, disgust, surprise, gratitude... All were fuzzy and fluctuating and she had a hard time focusing on a particular one. She tripped over something and Inuyasha grabbed her elbow to keep her up. The fear and concern flared behind her, almost drowning the rest. Kagome glanced back and saw the guards, some villagers and Hojos looking at them, some people still held their weapons at ready. Inuyasha didn't look at the crowd, just held her long enough for her to regain her balance.

"Keh," was all he said before letting go of her and leading her down the road to the forest. Kagome waved her hand at the crowd, hoping it'd make them less tense and suspicious of the forest spirit, before she went after him. She really hoped they could stop for a rest after leaving the village. She needed to treat Inuyasha's injuries and hopefully would get a lift. She really hoped for it, not only because she felt a bit weak after shooting that arrow, but also because she needed to think over what she had just sensed. And she wanted to steal some of Inuyasha's body heat.


	26. The Collar

A/N: Let me brag a little - I have a tiny niece who's name's Ola and she's cute (and loud) amd guess who's going to show her all the nerdy stuff when she's a bit bigger?  
Beta: sunshineisdelicious (thank you!)

* * *

 **The Collar**

* * *

Kagome sighed and stood up from her spot by the fire pit to find a certain jar of dried mint. She was proud of her herbal brews one had to inhale and during winter, when many people came down with flu, it was always one of the most sought after remedies she could make

This specific mix she was preparing was good to clean one's nose and throat, reduce the headache and help clean the lungs. And it was pretty easy, so she could think about whatever and don't feel guilty for not paying attention to what she was doing.

And since tonight was the night of the full moon it was hard for her to focus on anything but the forest spirit.

She had spent most of their journey home on his back, sleeping or telling Shippou stories, since the hanyou had not been in a talkative mood. Inuyasha had not followed the road, but ran to the village in a straight line, cutting through the forest in a speed no mortal horse could match. Still, they bad spend the night in the same cave with the hot spring.

Kagome had returned home to find that quite a few people were in need for this certain brew. The yuki onna's snowfall hadn't influenced the village much, since it hadn't reached so deep in the forest, but the cold had worsened some of the rougher coughing villagers' state. The days after Kagome's return seemed much warmer and the miko was idly wondering if it was the first sign the spring was coming or just the nature returning to balance after the great cold brought by the snow woman.

"Kagome!" came a happy voice from the direction of the door and before she could turn a little weight appeared on her shoulder. Without thinking she rubbed her cheek against Shippou's.

"Hello, Shippou," she greeted the boy. When she turned around she saw another guest standing just inside of the hut, on the packed dirt before the raised platform. He was looking at Kaede, who smiled at the little kitsune warmly. "Inuyasha."

"Thank you for aiding my daughter in her task of escorting the Namoya lady," Kaede looked from her mortar to the forest spirit with a warm smile. All wrinkles on her face seemed to make the smile look motherly and Kagome couldn't help but smile as well.

"Feh," he shrugged and sat on the edge of the raised floor. "She's not strong enough to take down even one of the youkai we ran into."

"I am sorry, but you forgot that I shot one with an arrow and I solved the misunderstanding with Royakan," Kagome pointed out, pretty proud with herself.

"Yeah! And she helped with the wounded soldiers, too!" Shippou reminded them from his spot in Kagome's arms. Inuyasha stuck his hands in his sleeves.

"Feh! That only proves my point, she ain't a fighter, she's a healer," he pouted. Kagome shook her head.

"And you, noble forest spirit, are a fighter," Kaede said, amusement in her voice. "So you complete each other."

"Keh!" Kagome hid her blush behind her bangs while the hanyou turned his back at them.

"I am a fighter too, granny Kaede!" Shippou jumped to stand in front of the old miko, proudly puffing out his chest. "I helped to fight the frost boar!"

"Is that so?" Kaede looked at the boy fondly. Shippou's tail fluffed out.

"Yes," Kagome confirmed, deciding to ignore Inuyasha's snort at her next comment. "He was most brave."

"Ah, I see," Kaede's eye was full of mirth. "So, what brought you two, fine youkai warriors, to the hut of ours?"

"Today's Inuyasha's youkai night and... Aaah!" only by a stroke of luck Shippou managed to dodge the swipe of a growling forest spirit. The kitsune fled behind Kagome, who gulped when she saw Inuyasha glaring her way from the spot where he had landed, just in front of Kaede. The old miko looked at the hanyou without fear, bringing her hand up to scratch her chin.

"Oh, Shippou," Kagome laughed at thenervously shaking fluffy tail sticking out from behind her. She knew Inuyasha wouldn't badly harm the kitsune, but he was prone to hitting the kid on his head, so it wasn't a shock to her that Shippou hid behind her. "You spilled Inuyasha's secret. Inuyasha, don't be angry with him, my mother is your friend, you can trust her."

"Feh!" Inuyasha didn't sound convinced, but his anger deflated some.

"That's true," Kaede smiled at the boy, who was eyeing her warily. "So, what brings you two at this specific day? Is there anything we can help you with? Or are you just visiting my daughter?"

"Actually." Kagome raised a hand before Inuyasha could reply. "I was going to spend the night..."

"Right here, where it's safe, keeping the kid with you," Inuyasha finished for the young healer, his voice firm.

"No, with you," Kagome almost growled at him and wrapped her arms around Shippou so he'd know she also meant him. "You can't honestly think I'll let you to be alone tonight."

"And what can you do? Kikyou at least could seal me to a tree, you wouldn't stand a chance!"

"What's the matter?" Kaede inquired, obviously worried by the look that passed Kagome's face. Kagome bit her bottom lip and took a deep inhale through her nose before looking at her mother and answering. She didn't see the sad, but determined look on the hanyou's face, but Shippou, who was looking at his guardian in shock, did.

"Inuyasha' youkai's rising every full moon," Kagome said flatly.

"That's correct, he is a hanyou after all," Kaede nodded. Inuyasha was oddly quiet and motionless. Despite the sting of him comparing her to her pre-incarnation Kagome's heart squeezed in her chest when she remembered her talk with him a few days prior. 'He had been poking fun at me for being weak since day one, I should be used to it,' she thought briefly, but the fact was it stung because it was the first time he compared her to Kikyou. Just like the villagers had been doing for years.

"But his sword had been sealing his youkai for decades now during the full moon nights, so he wouldn't transform," the young miko continued.

"I suspected there was a seal that helped him contain his youkai," Kaede still didn't look too worried. "My sister and I knew this from the first time we laid our eyes on the forest spirit. Seeing a hanyou his age acting as the guardian of a human village was quite a shock to my sister. I'm glad the sword keeps you sane, forest spirit. Despite your attitude you are a great help to the village."

"Feh!" Inuyasha spat. "You'll change your mind when the sun's out."

"Why is that?" Kaede glanced over the hanyou. "You have your sword with you."

"Mother," Kagome spoke again, because Inuyasha just glared at the old miko. "Since the last full moon the... nature of Inuyasha's bond to Tessaiga changed. Before it was relying solely on his father's youki, but now it's bound to Inuyasha's and he thinks it won't be enough to bind his youkai."

"Ah, I see."

"So I want to go with him to his den to keep him company and to make sure he's alright," Kagome finished.

"And what's alright about finding your shredded body after the sunrise?" growled the hanyou.

"I'd protect her!" Shippou exclaimed, clinging to Kagome's robe.

"And get killed too, good idea," sneered the irate forest spirit and turned to Kaede. "You ain't fast enough to stop me either, so you all have to sit your asses here and wait for sunrise."

"I think I might have a solution to the problem," Kaede said calmly, catching everyone off-guard.

"What?!" barked the forest spirit while the other two just looked at the old miko. Kagome fought the urge to jump up and hug her mother, who managed to silence them all so easily.

"Shippou, would you fetch something from the storage room for me?" Kaede waited for the kitsune to nod. "It's a small box made of wood," she gestured with her hands to indicate the shape. "It should be on the third shelf on the left of the door."

"I'm on it!" Kagome smiled after the little boy who so readily agreed to help her mother. Shippou could be a mischievous boy, but he was also sweet and trusting. Kagome just hoped he wouldn't develop some of his guardian's bad habits. Speaking of the guardian - Inuyasha sat down with his legs and arms crossed, tense and suspicious, but at least he wasn't growling and didn't just leave.

Kaede looked at her daughter with a patient, calm expression on her face and Kagome dropped her sight to her work, finishing it before the kitsune returned, the requested item in his little hands. Inuyasha's eyes followed his tiny paws carrying him across the wooden floor to the old miko. Kagome giggled when she saw the green eyes of the kitsune gleaming with curiosity when he put the box before Kaede. Inuyasha tried to look indifferent, but his perked ears were pointed at her mother. Kagome moved a bit closer to Kaede, not bothering to veil her own interest in the mysterious box. Kaede looked at the three young faces, all turned her way. Kagome prayed for the thing in the box to be the answer to their problem. 'Inuyasha looks like he's ready to bolt out of the house any minute now and I really don't want him to be alone tonight,' she thought and bit her bottom lip.

"I acquired this from the Ogre Tower Shrine," said Kaede while lifting the lid from the box in front of her. Everyone peered inside, even Inuyasha stopped his ears twitching nervously Kagome looked in confusion at a string of beads coiled inside the box. They were made of wood which had been once painted red. Between red beads were pale magatama beads which looked like fangs of some animal.

"What is it?" asked Shippou, reaching a finger to poke one of the beads.

"Prayer beads," Kagome raised her eyes to her mother to get her confirmation.

"Aye, my daughter, but these aren't simple beads a Shinto priest or a miko would use," Kaede reached inside of the box and pulled the rosary out, the beads making soft noises as they hit each other. "This is a Kotodama no Nenju, Beads of Subjugation."

Shippou quickly ran behind Kagome, as if afraid the beads could jump from Kaede's hand and wrap around his neck, making him a well-behaved boy. Inuyasha growled and stiffened, his eyes never leaving the swaying length of the necklace.

"I was going to put it on you, forest spirit," Kaede confessed honestly. "When I learned about the pact between you and my daughter. I wouldn't let you kill Kagome, so I went and reclaimed the necklace once made by my sister. Yet you relinquished your claim on Kagome's life, so I decided to put the beads away. But I think that if you fear of losing control over your youkai blood that the necklace would aid you."

"Does it work like a seal?" Kagome asked over the growl of an annoyed hanyou. Inuyasha didn't tale well the information another miko wanted to put an enchantment on him and Kagome didn't blame him - after all, he had been seaed for a half of a century by a miko. Inuyasha still didn't want to talk about the day she had shot him.

"No, the beads activate when a word is spoken by the necklace's master," Kaede ignored the forest spirit glaring daggers at her. "The beads are meant to control beings you don't want to or can't kill, and who can cause trouble. Touch them and you'll sense the reiki of my late sister woven in the spell and the good will..."

"You're fuckin' crazy if you think I'll let you bind me!" Inuyasha finally exploded when Kagome touched the rosary. She could sense something, the warmth radiating from the artifact made by her preincarnation. When Inuyasha spoke she looked up at him, his yellow eyes narrowed, his claws at ready, his pose indicating he was ready to spring away at any time now.

And when Kagome reached a hand to calm him down he did just that.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome jumped to her feet and ran out of the hut, but he was already out of the village, his figue disappearing in the shadow of the forest as the sun hid behind the horizon.

.

Now he knew what the vile bitch had planned all those years ago. He could remember her meeting him in a meadow, full of spring flowers. He still could hear her sweet voice promising him a gift - the first real gift since his mother's death. His ears laid back against the cold wind and the memory of Kikyou's blue eyes looking down shyly.

Now he knew it had been just an act, a plot to make him lower his guard around her. His fate had been sealed the day he had trusted her. The bitch had planned to pin him to a tree or bind him to her will, make him do her biding.

And now the old hag had the cursed beads back. She couldn't pin him to a tree, her old body too slow for him, but she still could cast the incantation, he was sure of it.

If he could just sit and think he'd remember Kaede's words of why she had the beads back and the confession she didn't mean to use them, that she brough them up just as a means to help him control his youkai blood. But his temper and the full moon rising over his head made him unable to stop, his feet carrying him through his forest. But for once he wasn't retreating to his den.

He was going to the place with no scent, where no full moon shone, where he wouldn't be a threat to anyone and where no one would follow to chain his spirit with the thing the traitor had created.


	27. The Place With No Scent

A/N: Look, a new chapter! And not weeks after the last update! Hooray!  
Don't sky away from the reviewing section, I'm eager to hear from you all amazing people who waste time reading my stories and are so patient with me  
Beta: sunshineisdelicious

* * *

 **The Place With No Scent**

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Yami stopped by a dark spot on the surface of the cliff side. It took Kagome a while to get to him. The dog looked between her and the dark spot, which turned out to be a crack between the rocks, leading to a narrow passage of a cave. The best tracker from Inuyasha's pack whined softly and Kagome noticed the footprints on the snow just in front of the cave entrance.

"Good boy," she said and patted Yami on his head. "Go back home to Shippou."

Yami looked at her and wagged his tail, obviously pleased that he found what she was looking for. Then he jumped away, following her order and returning to the den where the pups and the kitsune were, along with the rest of the pack. The full moon shone above his head, making the dog look like a ghost between dark shadows of the trees. Kagome wasted a minute to look after him before entering the cave, her hands feeling the way.

When Inuyasha had ran away she immediately followed him, Shippou at her side. Together they had gone to the den to find it empty. Kagome had been surprised and worried by this, the den was Inuyasha's home and she had suspected he'd want to hide there. But after not finding the hanyou in his dwelling Kagome had decided to leave Shippou behind just in case Inuyasha showed up. She had taken one of his dogs and had returned to the outskirts of the village so Yami could track his master. The dog easily followed the more or less straight path, cutting through the forest at an angle to the way to the den. Yami had led Kagome to a foot of a hillside hidden behind thick trees and bushes covered in snow and to the cave where the forest spirit was hiding from the full moon.

While making her way down the narrow corridor Kagome was wondering why Inuyasha was in this particular cave - in contrast to his den it had no barriers wrapping around it. When she was a couple of meters in, after following a bent of the way she noticed that there was a faint light ahead of her and she could make the shape of the walls around her. She moved faster until she reached the end of the cave.

The only thing there was a wide dark swirl of gray mist and cool air. Kagome stood there for a moment, unsure what to do. Inuyasha was beyond this vortex, she was sure of it. After all, there was nowhere else in the cave he could be. Carefully, the miko stepped forward and took a few calming breaths before stepping in the swirling mists.

When the blinding darkness subsided and the wind died down to a mournful whistle between rocks Kagome opened her eyes and looked around. She was in a land covered by thick, swirling mist, bizarre rocks sticking out of it here and there like isles in the sea. The wind was howling in between them, but it didn't carry any other noise of smell. Kagome felt the dry air against her cheeks, cool and lifeless somehow. The movement of swirling mists was all she could see, rocks appearing and disappearing in it. Inuyasha was nowhere to be seen.

She was about to call his name when the mists parted ahead of her and she saw it. A skeleton taller than the tallest trees, huge like a mountain, laying between the rock pillars, partially obscured by gray clouds of dry mist and rubble.

"Wow..." she breathed out and decided to try and reach the skeleton. It liked like it was of a canine and she hoped to find Inuyasha somewhere around it. The path down the hill of the portal was narrow, often changing the direction, running around some rocks or across thin bridges above darkness. All the time she could see the great head with long fangs looming over her against the pale gray sky without the sun or the moon overhead. No sound was disturbing the silence of this creepy place, unless she kicked a pebble. It sure wasn't like a stroll through the village.

Finally, sweaty and anxious, Kagome reached her destination and stood between the front paws of the skeleton. There she stood for a minute just catching her breath. Then her sight fell on a rock. There were hundreds of other boulders, but this one sat between the paws of the skeleton and she couldn't shake off the feeling it was there on purpose.

There was something carved in the surface of the rock and Kagome stepped closer to read it.

"Izayoi," the hiragana letters said. Under the boulder was a pile of dust, dried up weeds and shiny pebbles, that looked out of place in this strange land, because so far all rocks there were plain gray, without any variation. 'Someone had to bring them here,' she thought. 'And the name... Isn't it the name of... his mother...?'

A sudden noise behind her back made her swirl on her heels.

There was Inuyasha standing beside a tall rock pillar. He was glaring at her with his intense yellow eyes, his hands hanging limply at his sides. Kagome didn't feel intimidated by his expression because she could see his droopy ears.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice low, dull somehow despite his obvious annoyance at her presence.

"I went through the portal," she said softly while looking back at the stone and the skeleton looming over their heads. The eerie atmosphere was making her want to leave as soon as possible, but she took a few breaths to calm herself. "What's this place exactly?"

"The borderland between the world of living and the next," Inuyasha didn't move to approach. "The place without scent. And this part is my parents' place."

To know she was in another world was anxiety-inspiring and Kagome felt a surge of the desire to leave this place. It wasn't meant for living beings to stay there and she didn't understand why Inuyasha could act so calm in this land. Maybe it was the knowledge it was where his parents were resting that made him more at ease young miko decided to walk to him, but as soon as she took a step forward he backed away. Kagome bit her bottom lip in frustration, she just wanted to be close to him, she wasn't going to harm him or anything. There was no need to act like that, but she guessed he was on edge because of the full moon and the event with Kaede's beads.

"There's no moon, so I can't go full youkai on you," he said, observing her every move. "But it ain't a reason for you to be close to me."

"I'm your friend, silly, I will not stay away," she smiled at him. "And I won't hurt you or do something against your will, you know that."

"Idiot," the forest spirit growled. "You'll get yourself killed if you keep being so trusting!"

"You said it yourself - there's no moon, so we're perfectly safe here," she smiled and the hanyou seemed to relax a bit at that. 'He's probably relieved I'm not running away, screaming, too,' she thought. She could only imagine how distressed the forest spirit felt, afraid of what was, in his opinion, his greatest strength. She admired how he tried to keep his friends safe, even from himself, but she trusted him and wanted to help.

She turned around to look at the scenery and to show him how much she trusted him, turning her back on him, letting him to close the gap between them if he wanted. After a minute or two he carefully approached her, walking to her side, but still keeping more distance between them than usual. She didn't mind that, finding some solace in the fact he actually shortened the space between them.

"You know, you shouldn't have ran away like that," Kagome decided to speak up after a while. He glared at her. "You didn't let mother Kaede explain her plan."

"Should I wait and let her collar me?" he growled.

"She didn't want to collar you, she wanted to help," she put an emphasis on the last word. "You don't even know that Tessaiga's seal won't work," she pointed out. "You don't want to even try anything else that might help."

"Sorry for not wanting to be a slave lap dog of an old hag," he barked at her. "And sorry for wanting to keep you lot safe."

"The beads don't work that way," Kagome shook her head. She took a calming breath and didn't scold him for calling her mother an old hag. She wanted to explain Kaede's plan to him, so he could understand it and stop being an idiot. There was no need to antagonize him. She didn't really want to put the necklace on him, but if it'd make him not running to this gloomy place every full moon she was going to do it.

Not mentioning the fact that the beads could aid her in teaching him some manners. She didn't plan to control him or use the nenju in any other situation than subduing his youkai. She didn't want to lose his trust like that. with them, but if she could use the threat of activating the necklace...

She pulled the necklace out of her sleeve and showed it to him, making him leap away from the item as if it was hot iron. The expression on his face was almost funny, but she didn't let herself laugh at him, she did her best to appear calm and not threatening. 'It's like coaxing a wild dog to eat of your hand.'

"First of all, I'd be the one to use the beads, not my mother. According to her words I'm more attuned to them, because they're made by my preincarnation. And you already know you can trust me," she smiled, her voice soothing as she put the beads on the boulder before her. The faded color seemed vibrant again in this dull place.

"Feh," he glanced at the rosary. "You don't have power like Kikyou's."

She merely nodded, it was a plain fact. It still stung, but she did her best to ignore that. She was stronger than she had been this summer and she hoped she could get stronger in time, even if she wouldn't be as strong as Kaede's sister.

"Yes, but I'm strong enough to form the connection and tie the necklace to your youki," she explained patiently what she had learned from Kaede while putting on her warm clothes and before running after him. The hanyou grunted and walked around the boulder to sit near one of the thick bones ending in a huge talon. She noticed one of the claws on this paw was missing, but didn't pay much attention to it, more focused on the boy crossing his arms on his chest. They were silent for a minute, him glaring at the rosary warily and her trying to come up with something to say to get him to relax.

"I went with Shippou to the den," she decided that informing him about the whereabouts of his ward would do the trick. He didn't show it often, but he cared for Shippou. The forest spirit raise an eyebrow. "I left him there when we didn't find you and I took Yami to track you down."

"Smart wench, he has the best nose," he looked to the side, but she smiled at the grumbled compliment. She decided it was a good time to try and sit beside him, but when she attempted to move her feet she couldn't.

Surprised, Kagome looked down to see that something was tangled around her legs. Actually, it seemed to be tangled around her torso as well. It looked like a web of...

"Hair...?" Kagome frowned in confusion before she felt a tug. The last thing she saw before something hard hit her head was Inuyasha jumping to his feet and calling her name before she fell back and down into the darkness.

A/N: Dun-dun-duun!  
~evil cackling in a distance~


	28. Bound

A/N: As I promised over on my Tumblr - as soon as I came home I post the next chapter. Hope you like it, remember to leave feedback!  
Beta: sunshineisdelicious

* * *

 **Bound**

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Kagome sighed as she rolled her throbbing head and groaned inwardly. She didn't know where she was, the stone surface she was laying on was cold and rough. Her whole body ached and her mantle was heavy, cold and wet as if she had spent a lot of time laying around in snow. She could hear a soft rustle nearby and it prompted her to finally open her eyes.

She was in a huge cave, lit by some glowing rocks, that didn't do much when it came to making the rest of the place very visible. The majority of the space was covered in huge balls of... 'Is it hair?' Kagome frowned at the nearest ball, mostly black, but with streaks of yellow and brown. Strands were crisscrossing in the air, creating an intricate pattern overhead. What was left of the floor was covered by skulls, some piled up, some having some skin and hair still attached to them. Even the visible parts of the walls were adorned with rows upon rows of skulls. She happened to be in one of few empty areas.

Dread gripped her heart and Kagome immediately sat up, pulling her legs under herself to keep warm and stay away from the nearest skulls. The next second she caught her head and closed her eyes, because the sudden move made the world spin around her and the dull ache in the back of her head intensifying. It took a while, but finally it got less overwhelming. With wide eyes she looked around once more, trying to understand what was going on. 'Where am I? Where's Inuyasha? What happened?' The last thing she could remember was being at Inuyasha's parents' grave, talking to the forest spirit.

"You're up, little human," she glanced up and saw a female seemingly suspended in mid-air. After a second she noticed a strand of hair the scarcely-clothed woman - obviously a youkai - was standing on. There were more hair in her hands, wrapped around her nimble fingers. "You know, for a girl you don't seem to care for your hair too much, you have split ends."

"Who...?" Kagome asked in confusion at that remark, forgetting to get angry at the insult. She had been frantically thinking what was going to happen now. The youkai didn't look much different than a human, but no human woman would dress like her and live in a place like this. And the smirk on her face wasn't one a good person would have.

'Inuyasha...' She wished she could reach the forest spirit with her reiki, see if he was alright and ask him to help her.

"I'm Yura. I was going to cut your hair off to add it to my collection, along with your head," the youkai woman gracefully jumped down to land lightly on another thin rope mere feet away from Kagome. The miko flinched and paled. The intentions of this being were pretty clear now. "But your hair isn't as pretty as this."

In front of herself Yura spread a strand glistening like a thread of moonlight. Kagome gulped, there weren't that many people having white hair.

"I tried to catch him, but he tore my hair," Yura said, rather amused than annoyed at the one who had defied her. "But I know he's on his way here, so I don't mind. I will replace the torn hair with yours and his. "

Yura offered her captive a warm, soothing smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Kagome felt a cold shiver run down her back and this one didn't have anything to do with the cold, wet clothes she had on. Kagome looked at the youkai and around, trying to find something she could do. 'Kikyou could probably just purify her with the cave,' she thought bitterly. Kagome didn't even have her bow and arrows with her, although she doubted with them she'd be less helpless. She hated that, the feeling that she was at someone's mercy, that that person was going to use her to lure the forest spirit into a trap. Yura jumped to one of the huge hair balls and grabbed a fistful of strands, tugging some of them or wrapping them around her fingers. Some hairs were moving on their own accord, slinking along the cave or vibrating and Kagome could see Yura's youki animating them

"You don't have to do this," Kagome was pretty sure she couldn't talk the ogre from her plan, but hoped she could at least distract her, so she wouldn't notice Inuyasha coming - it wouldn't be much, but she couldn't just sit and do nothing. The healer earned a glance and a smirk of the other female.

"Oh, but I do. I want to add you two to my collection. Well. more like I want to add him, your hair is pretty ordinary and not too well-kept," she shrugged.

"Hey! I'll hae you know that I brush my hair more often than he does!" Kagome exclaimed in indignation that was only half-feigned.

"For what I saw in your tiny village it might be acceptable, but your hair is nothing compared to a youkai," Yura raised a hand to run her fingers through her short tresses. Kagome growled at her, but the youkai woman ignored her, resuming her toying with the hair strands. The miko noticed the hair was moving out of the cave, thick strands crawling across the floor like some bizarre tentacles, reaching for something, looking for something.

"Yura," Kagome couldn't believe herself, she spoke again, drawing the oni's attention to herself. A part of her was frightened to see her eyes turn her way, but she just fisted her hands in her wet cloak. "You aren't from this forest, right? I mean, you can't be living here for long since I've never heard of you... But there are so many skulls..."

Yura started to laugh.

"Silly human, I was here long before this dump you call a village was created," she stated. "I wasn't interested in broading my collection for a while and you humans forgot I lived here," she grinned. "But you'll know soon. Sadly, it'll be too late for you, since my hair are already spreading across the forest to the villages hidden in it."

Kagome paled when she thought about all the villagers, fast asleep right now, unaware of the danger. She looked at the strands moving out of the cave with wide eyes. Yura looked pretty pleased with the effect her words had on her, because she giggled merrily. The girl swallowed and tried to look away from the web of hair, tingling with Yura's youki, shimmering over her head.

"Ah!" Yura exclaimed and lost her interest in Kagome entirely. The miko looked back to the cave entrance and saw something shining white in the moonlight just outside. It lingered there just for a second before jumping forward and avoiding a hairy tentacle that tried to wrap itself around the newcomer.

"Inuyasha! Watch out for the hair!" Kagome called out when she saw some of the strands rise and move his way. The hanyou managed to dodge them at the last second as he made his way deeper inside.

"Kagome!" he called out, his gaze sweeping across the cave and locating her. Kagome felt a wave of relief wash over her when she saw the forest spirit. The next second the relief changed into dread because even more hair sprang his way and some of it wrapped around his wrist, suspending him in place. "What...?"

"The hair!" Kagome repeated and realized he couldn't see it when he frowned in confusion and didn't try to slash at the strand that wrapped itself around his free had a moment later.

"What took you so long?" Yura stood from her hair ball and in a graceful leap made it to a thin strand located not far from now growling Inuyasha, who growled at her. "You must be Inuyasha."

"How do you know my name?" the forest spirit growled at the woman who wagged her finger at him.

"Everyone says this forest belongs to the half-breed Inuyasha, who rolls over for humans," she teased in a sweet tone of voice.

"I don't roll over for anyone!" Inuyasha roared and started to struggle against his bonds. Kagome almost smiled at the sheer stubbornness and tough act of the forest spirit, who had been protecting the village from beings like Yura for past centuries. He didn't bend to anyone's will, but he had a kind, caring and protective nature, no matter how wild and rude he acted. "Once I'm through with you, you'll regret you came to pester me, you sick bitch!"

"My, my, such an ill-behaved puppy," Yura taunted. When he tore the hair and lunged at her she gracefully jumped away and gestured for her hair ropes to wrap around his ankles and wrists, suspending him in the air. Kagome gasped when she saw the ogress drawing the short sword she had on her him and jumping towards the forest spirit, struggling to get free and cursing.

"Fuck you!" Inuyasha cried out in pain when the blade neared his chest, he was unable to dodge it. Kagome called him name in fear. Without thinking she picked up one of the skulls and threw it at the oni advancing on her friend.

She missed Yura, but managed to stop her. And draw her attention. "Let him go!" Kagome cried, a skull in each hand. She wondered if she could put her reiki into them and how much damage she could do if she could actually hit Yura. 'Probably not much...'

"Idiot! You should be hiding, not getting in the way!" called Inuyasha while Yura glared at the miko standing between piles of skulls.

"Looks she wants you back. What a cute little doggie you must be," the oni said to the hanyou still trying to break free from her binding. She looked more amused than angry, like it all was a game.

Kagome decided to test her idea and grasped a skull in both hands, trying not to think about the poor person who had died by Yura's vile hand. She quickly prayed for the spirit of the fallen and focused her reiki as if she was going to fire an arrow. The skull glowed faintly and the miko threw it at the evil youkai. She hoped it'd distract her and buy Inuyasha enough time to free himself.

She successed at distracting Yura, who easily dodged the projectile by jumping to a nearby strand of hair connecting two balls. She didn't know how weak Kagome actually was. she just saw her spiritual power glowing from the skull. The ogre laughed mockingly at Kagome's failed attempt to hit her, but then the scent of burnt hair filled the air and Yura looked behind herself, to one of the hair balls, the biggest ones. It was dissolving, being hit by the skull that had missed her.

Kagome almost gagged when she not only smelled the stink, but also saw what was stashed in the ball - bodies and bones of Yura's victims were falling to the ground as her hair were fizzling away. Of course, the skull didn't destroy the whole ball, but it damaged it pretty good. Sadly, the young healer didn't have time to appreciate her handiwork.

"You meddling girl, look what you've done!" for the first time anger entered Yura's voice and Kagome realized she was in big trouble. "You'll die for that!"

Kagome gasped when she saw the youkai raising her katana and lunging at her. She couldn't put a barrier, nor could she run in her heavy and wet clothing. All she managed to do was to stumble a few steps back and raise her arm in an attempt to shield herself from the blow. Involuntarily she squeezed her eyes shut, expecting the piercing pain.

The pain that never came. Kagome dared to peek above her raised hand and saw a wall of red and white just before her. 'Inuyasha...' she thought, her heart beating again when she saw the forest spirit with his sword blocking Yura's blade. Her legs went weak from the wave of relief that went through her body.

'He saved me...' This thought, along with his red swirling youki warmed her.

"You stay away from her!" Inuyasha growled and pushed Yura back, the youkai woman easily leaping backward and landing on a convenient thread a meter above the half-dissolved hair ball.

"Don't interfere, puppy, you're going to die just after her," she promised in a sickly cheerful tone before engaging the hanyou in a fight. To Kagome's relief she could see Tessaiga cutting through the net of hair woven across the cave with ease. 'I doubt he even notices he's cutting them,' she thought while watching the battle unfold, blows being exchanged and youki swirling around the fighters.

Then it hit her. Most of the youki surrounding the fighting pair was Inuyasha's, angry red she knew well. Yura's youki was far less noticeable. It was dark red, almost brown to Kagome's eye, like dried blood. The young miko wasted a moment to study the energies in the cave. Inuyasha;s youki was swirling around him like a whirlpool, but there was no whirlpool of energy around or behind Yura's body. Her youki seemed to run through her like it ran through the hair she was actively using. After looking around she spotted the missing swirl of youki located near the base of the hair ball she had hit with her skull earlier. It seemed to linger there.

While Kagome was making her discovery Yura caught the forest spirit's legs with her hair and brought him to the floor with one tug. Before he could free himself or jump away she leaped at him, promising to make sure not to get his hair bloodied. All Inuyasha managed to do was to raise himself on his hands... Kagome felt her heart squeeze painfully when she noticed that he was bleeding from a wound going across his cheek. He lifted his left hand to touch the wound, as if just now realizing it was there and forgetting that his enemy was almost upon him.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome called in fright at the sight of the hanyou struggling to rise. Yura laughed happily as she raised her hand for the final strike.

"Hijin Kessou!" Kagome gasped when she saw Inuyasha using his left hand to swipe in Yura's direction. But instead of a claw attack that would've missed because she was still out of his range, Kagome saw something like blood red blades pulsing with his energy. They cut through the oni's body with the same ease they cut through the netting behind her, severing her right hand and penetrating her chest and legs with deep wounds.

"How dare you!" Yura exclaimed as her hand fell tot he ground along with her sword. The youkai female wanted to leap back on a strand of hair, but it had been cut loose and she ended up landing on the ground. "A hanyou I barely know! Do you have no manners, attacking a lady like this!"

"Like hell you're a lady, you whore," Inuyasha growled while freeing himself from his binding and standing up with Tessaiga raised. "Wolf bitches wear more clothes than you and they're savage barbarians."

"How dare you insult my fashion taste, you weak half-breed!"

"Still strong enough to hand you your ass," Inuyasha smirked. Kagome felt a bit of amusement at his demeanor, but she hoped the fight would be over soon. Yura seemed not affected by the wounds inflicted on her body by Inuyasha's previous attack, even her hand was soon attached back to her wrist. Kagome worried her bottom lip between her teeth, trying to figure out what tricks Yura had up her sleeve. That reminded her about the odd placement of the swirl of Yura's youki. As soon as the pair resumed their battle, Kagome started to inch closer to it to inspect it. She hoped Inuyasha could keep Yura occupied for a while longer.

There, under the hair ball between the partially mummified bodies, Kagome found a red skull. It had hair attached to it, hair glowing with Yura's youki and the vortex of her energy hovered over it.

"Here!" Kagome knelt by the skull. "All the hair is connected to this skull!"

She looked around and found a dagger attached to one of the bodies' obi. She pulled it out of its sheath and tried to cut the hair off the skull. It didn't work, it was too strong or the dagger was too dull to cut through the youki-strengthened strands. She tried to break the skull with the heel of the dagger's hilt.

"You!" she heard Yura's voice full of anger. "What are you doing!?"

Kagome didn't look back at the oni, too afraid she'd see her looming over her with her katana ready to strike. She focused on hitting the skull as hard as possible.

Suddenly, as she landed a really nice blow, something heavy fell on top of her, pushing her to the ground with a cry of surprise. Something cracked under her and a shriek of agony filled the cave.

Kagome dared to move a good minute after the shriek faded away. The heavy, warm weight over her grunted in displeasure and she tilted her head to see what it was.

She saw the forest spirit slowly crawling off of her. He had blood smeared across his face and was scowling down at her. When she raised to a kneeling position he pointed to a sword discarded just to the side.

"Idiot! She threw it at you! You could be killed!" Inuyasha growled at her, but Kagome ignored him. The red skull was cracked, with the dagger sticking out of it. The hair balls and nets were changing in dust around them. She looked back at the forest spirit.

"You're hurt," she whispered and reached a hand to touch his bleeding cheek. She didn't touch it, because he grabbed her hand and pulled her into his chest, embracing her.

"Don't you dare getting kidnapped like that again," he grumbled and Kagome felt her body relax against his embrace. She was safe now, her forest spirit was with her. She rubbed her cheek against his chest and frowned when she felt something round press into her flesh. She was about to ask what it was when a shiver ran down her body. "Kagome?"

"I'm sorry, I'm just relieved. And cold," she apologized. Inuyasha stood up, still holding her close.

"Let's take you home," he said before leaving the cave and running through the moonlit forest, heading in the direction of her village. Tired and feeling safe and warm, Kagome moved aside the beaded necklace he wore and snuggled closer to his warmth, drowsily thinking that she couldn't wait to crawl into her bed.

.

The Sunset Village looked so calm, so serene in the dim light of the last hour of the night. The eastern sky was growing paler, with colors of the impending dawn slowly pushing the starry dark blue to the west where the full moon was hovering just above the tree tops. Kagome smiled tiredly when she saw her home village safe and undisturbed by the events of the night.

She was so grateful the dreadful night was almost over, that Inuyasha had come to save her in Yura's lair. She was thankful he was carrying her home, because she doubted she'd make it on her own. Her body felt so heavy and it seemed like the only source of warmth was the man carrying her in his arms, leaping through the snow-covered forest with ease and grace no human could match.

They didn't talk during their journey back to the village, Kagome was more asleep than awake most of the time and Inuyasha didn't seem to be in a talkative mood. Kagome knew she should feel awkward, traveling in his arms like this, but she felt safe and content. Besides, who would be up at this time of the night?

"I see you brought Kagome," said Kaede when the hanyou landed in front of her hut. The old miko was standing in the doorway and Kagome realized she probably had felt them approaching.

"Um," the young healer blushed madly and struggled to free herself from the hanyou's clutches. She succeed because Inuyasha was as eager to put her down as she was to stand on her own.

"Come in," Kaede turned around and led them inside, where it was warm and cozy. Kagome immediately shed her wet coat, but before she could hang it on a rack to dry a ball of orange fur jumped in her arms.

"Kagome!" Shippou hid his head under her chin, his little body shaking a little. "You're okay!"

"Feh, of course she is!" the forest spirit grumbled from behind the young miko and was almost brought to the ground by the force of the kitsune's body crashing against his chest.

"Inuyasha!" Shippou repeated the motion of sticking his head under Inuyasha's chin, obviously finding comfort in the canine gesture. Surprised by the affectionate welcome Inuyasha ruffed softly at the boy before prying him off of him and deposited hum on Kagome's shoulder where the kitsune grabbed onto the miko's robe to stay perched up.

"Shippou? What happened? I left you in the den..." Kagome walked towards the fire where her mother was already preparing tea for them all. The little fox rubbed his cheek against hers.

"I was there, but then something attacked Yami when he was returning home and Chikara, Kiba and I went to help him," Shippou told the newcomers about the odd attack and how his kitsune fire helped them flee the invisible ropes that were coiling around them. Kagome felt cold dread squeezing her heart when she realized it had been Yura's hair. The boy was practically glued to her, but he relaxed a bit when she stroked his hair. Inuyasha's gruff bark of "You did well protecting the pack." made the boy's chest puff out and Shippou left Kagome's side to sit beside the hanyou, who was seated on the edge of the raised floor.

Kagome left the rest to change into a dry pair of hakama and when she came back Inuyasha was asking Shippou about the dogs, which were back in the den. It was obvious to Kagome that the little kitsune had shown bravery and loyalty that earned him Inuyasha's praise. Judging by Shippou's smug and proud expression the little boy quite enjoyed it. Kaede was sitting silently and sipping her tea, watching the two youkai talk.

"So, Kagome," the old miko said. "I see you managed to convince the forest spirit to wear the beads."

"Um, actually..." Kagome for the first time since the hug in Yura's lair Kagome thought about the necklace she had felt around his neck. She glanced Inuyasha's way and saw it now, the red beads were blending in against his kimono, but the pale magatama beads were pretty well visible. Shippou cocked his head to the side while his guardian shrugged.

"I put it on myself," he said. "I had to go save the wench from the hair oni."

"Uh..." Kagome cleared her throat when she noticed a spark of amusement and curiosity in her mother's eye. "I went after Inuyasha to a place where time doesn't flow. He had planned to spend the full moon there," she didn't feel like she should talk about Inuyasha's parent's grave without asking if he was alright with it first. "But before I could explain how the nenju works Yura had her hair around me and I guess she kidnapped me?" she looked at Inuyasha, who nodded. Shippou snuggled close to her side. The poor child was exhausted and almost asleep, but refused to leave her and go to bed. She suspected he'd just doze off in a matter of minutes.

"Yeah. I tried to free you from her grasp, but she wrapped her damn hair around me too and it took me a while to get loose," Inuyasha explained, his ears drooped a little, as if he was ashamed about that. "But then I realized I had to leave the place without scent, so I put your stupid beads on. And they really worked, I didn't feel my youkai rising even once, even when I was angry. Who knew something Kikyou did could seal my youkai so well? without any shit going wrong?"

"Uh..." Kagome repeated herself yet again. She could see how relaxed he was, his anxious demeanor disappeared after so many days. And yet... 'How am I supposed to break his bubble?' she worried her lip between her teeth, but it seemed it wasn't her destiny to enlighten him. She had planned to make it clear to him what the beads entitled before he could choose if he wanted to war it. 'Will he think he was tricked to wear it?'

"Forest spirit," Kaede spoke, clearly amused. "I'm afraid the kotodama no nenju doesn't work this way."

The forest spirit froze and turned his yellow eyes at her.

"What?"

"I was going to tell you, but Yura..." Kagome felt an ice cube in her stomach when she heard the suspicious, dark tone of his voice. The fear that he was going to think she wanted to bind him made her heart clench. 'Would he stop trusting me now?' this thought almost brought tears to her eyes. She could imagine him giving her a hurt, betrayed glare and leaning away from her touch. She had planned to promise him never to abuse the necklace, but now it was all done and judging by his body language, he didn't like what he was hearing. She hadn't have a chance to activate the rosary and yet he was sane and a hanyou, it was a clear sign that whatever was keeping him from transforming it wasn't the necklace.

"Kotodama no nenju is unlike a sealing arrow, forest spirit," Kaede explained, oblivious to her daughter's paling face and trembling fingers. "It doesn't seal away a youkai, but it should be able to cause your youkai to return to being dormant after being activated. It subjugates the spirit upon a command being spoken by the necklace's master. In this case - Kagome's the master of your rosary."

Kagome covered her mouth with both hands when Inuyasha looked her way. To her surprise he didn't explode, although he looked tense and uneasy.

"Feh," he reached to the beads, probably to remove them. The necklace glowed blue when he tried to tug it over his head and didn't go higher than to the level his nose. Now he glared at both women. "What' the hell?"

"You cannot remove it, Inuyasha," Kaede stated the obvious. "The beads are linked to your spirit, even in their dormant state. You're bound to Kagome's reiki through the spell within the necklace."

Confused, annoyed gaze of the yellow, inhuman eyes of the forest spirit landed solely on Kagome and the young miko almost sobbed. She knew she had to make him understand she wasn't like Kikyou, she didn't plan to betray him, to control him.

"Inuyasha," she whispered shakily. "I won't say a command to bind you, promise! I don't want to subjugate you! I just wanted to keep your youkai in check so you wouldn't have to worry and stay away, and..."

It had been a long night, full of emotional strain along with physical exhaustion, and Kagome felt like she was ready to curl in a ball of wailing pitifullness.

"Oi, wench, don't cry!" she realized tears were already running down her cheeks She blinked some away to see the annoyed hanyou glaring at her. She found some relief in the fact he was still there and hadn't called her a traitor yet. "Old woman, no other miko can use the beads, right? Only Kagome?"

"That's correct, Inuyasha," Kaede gave a small nod. "There' a ritual of passing the mastership of a nenju to another, but it's a complicated process."

"Keh, whatever," Inuyasha dropped the necklace, refraining from trying to get it off. Kagome was so surprised by his acceptance of the presence of the rosary that she forgot about her anxiety.

"Whatever?" she repeated after him. The forest spirit shrugged.

"You obviously aren't the type to control others, besides you promised not to use it. I can handle a couple of beads," he explained himself. "Besides, I'm more concerned about the fact I'm still in control of myself. The moon's setting right now and the whole night I didn't feel my youkai stirring once."

Kagome felt relief flooding her like a wave of warm water. She almost jumped to hug the hanyou, who once again surprised her with his actions and words, but in time she remembered that her mother was present. So she just smiled brilliantly at the forest spirit, who stuffed his hands in his sleeves and told 'the weak humans' to go get some sleep before the village woke up.

'Thank you, Inuyasha, for your trust. I won't betray you. Ever,' Kagome thought as she curled in a ball under her blanket, unable to keep a soft smile from her lips. She didn't understand why he was so trusting towards her while he was so wary of anyone else, but she didn't care. She hugged closer the warm furball that was Shippou's little body and drifted to sleep.

Soon only Inuyasha was awake in the hut near the village shrine. The hanyou fingered a magatama bead shining in the light of the dawn while looking at it, deep in thought

"Bound, huh?"


	29. The Training

**The Training**

* * *

She was laying in the soft spring grass, the ancient limbs of the Tree of Ages swaying overhead. Her hands were pinned above her in an iron grip of a clawed hand. Golden eyes rimmed with red and underlined by jagged purple stripes were boring into her eyes, intense and exotic, but not repulsing. The white curtain of his hair was hiding her flushed face from the world as he leaned closer to her. She didn't feel cornered or afraid, despite the fact that the being leaning over her was most certainly a dangerous one. His gaze drifted to her mouth for a second before he looked back in her eyes and started to say something...

Kagome woke groggily when she heard a tiny, old voice calling frantically nearby. It was pretty loud for an old person.

"Master Inuyasha! Master Inuyasha!"

Oh, how she longed to go back to sleep and hear what the white-haired man from her dream wanted to tell her. But she knew that she wouldn't get her answer to this, so she figured out she could go and see who woke her.

She tugged the corner of her blanket from her face and looked around to see that she was in her own bed, A certain youkai male was there with her, dead to the world. With a smile she stroked his hand and extracted herself from the bedding to see what was the source of the noise in the main room. Her mother's bed was put away, so she already knew she slept in and she was very grateful for what many hours of sleep she had been granted.

She entered the main room to find her mother sitting next to her herb supply, but at this moment more focused on what was happening on the other side of the room. Inuyasha was sitting there, pushing away Yuki, who was hard bent on giving him happy dog kisses all over the face. It looked so cute to see this powerful being barely defending his face from the threat of being wet.

"Lady Kagome!" Yuki suddenly lost all his interest in Inuyasha and ran to greet her, luckily not by jumping at her and licking her cheeks. He just nudged her hip, his tail wagging. A tiny figure jumped from the top of his head to the floor next to him. "Lady Kagome, it's a pleasure to see you."

"Hello, Myouga," Kagome knelt by the flea youkai and the dog, who was now happily letting her scratch behind his ear. She missed another ear twitching in annoyance.

"What brought you here, old man?" Inuyasha asked, his arms crossed over his chest. "You fled weeks ago and I supposed we'd not see you until the spring."

Myouga stopped bowing to Kagome and turned to face him.

"Let me have you know, master Inuyasha, that I went to the smith who forged Tessaiga to ask about the... Change in Tessaiga's seal after the fateful encounter with your brother."

"Half-brother," Inuyasha muttered gruffly.

"I assume that you brought your master an answer?" Kaede inquired when Myouga made a dramatic pause and Inuyasha grumbled in his corner. The flea looked her way and straightened his tiny posture, smoothing his hands across his obi.

"Of course, my lady," he said. Kagome stopped petting Yuki and looked at the old youkai, who was looking at the aged miko with uncertainty, as if unsure if he should share his knowledge with his master in her presence. It was only then that Kagome realized he didn't really know her.

"Myouga, this is my mother, miko Kaede, mom, this is Myouga, Inuyasha's retainer," she introduced hastily.

"Now I see that beauty runs in the family," Myouga bowed to the amused woman. Kagome giggled and didn't correct him that she was actually not her biological mother. Myouga was about to say something else, but a low growl stopped him.

"Will you tell me what the smith had to say or should I squish you?"

"Oh, yes, of course." Myouga approached the scowling hanyou. "But you can't blame be for being distracted by a fair lady. I'm sure you also get distracted by..."

"Myouga!"

"Yes, yes," the flea gave Kagome a wink as if he knew he was playing with fire, but couldn't help himself from teasing his young master. "I went to see the sword smith Totosai in his volcanic domain. I told him the story of your battle with your brother and he said that the sword bound with you entirely and its seal will be able to keep your youkai blood in check no matter how powerful you'll become in time or after taking a mate. He said that it was supposed to bind to you like this and that it's a great joy to see that it did. I almost immediately went back to bring you this joyous information, but sadly, I couldn't make it to your den before today morning."

"How conveniently," Inuyasha glared at the little flea, who gave him an innocent look.

"So, what happened during my absence? I see that you and little Shippou came to visit the lovely ladies and stayed the night. I guess it turned out good for me to be a bit late, so I didn't intrude on..."

"Shut up!" Kagome gasped when the forest spirit's patience with his retainer finally gone dry and he squished him against the floor. Kaede looked shocked at the pouting boy while Myouga recovered and shook his head. Since Inuyasha was obviously not in a story telling mood Kagome took it upon herself to fill both Myouga and Kaede in. Inuyasha sat with his back facing them, but Kagome could easily see that he was listening carefully. During her tale Kaede supplied everyone with tea and resumed her work on the dinner since she already had heard most of it already.

But this time Kagome focused on not only retelling the most important facts, she also shared some of what she felt and saw in Yura's lair. After some rest she wanted to hear her mother's opinion on some of the things that had happened.

She told them that she was able to see Yura's hair and her youki moving it, while Inuyasha wasn't able to see it. The hanyou grumbled he could hear it when it was close, but he couldn't scent her youki since her smell was filling the cave like a stale water a dirt hole.

"So, you were able to see her youki?" Kaede lifted her gaze from the rice she was stirring.

"Yes, just like I can see Inuyasha's, But I could see it not only as an aura around her, like it's usually around other youkai. I could see a swirl of youki where her real body was. And I can see one behind Inuyasha too," Kagome was aware that she lacked the knowledge of more advanced reiki users who dealt with youkai. For years she hadn't shown any sign of having any reiki, so after some tries she had focused on the things she could actually do and neglected her spiritual training.

"Seeing youketsu is an ability not many possess." Myouga said. Kaede nodded. "Most only see auras."

"It is the same among the reiki users. Some of us are born with it, most aren't," Kagome looked down at her hands, not sure what to think about this all. She was used to think about herself as a rather bad miko, but now it seemed she had a pretty rare ability, 'I guess if I was decently blessed with reiki I could be a good...'

"So she can see youki swirls, big deal" Inuyasha's grumbling brought her from her musings.

"It's a big deal, indeed," Kaede nodded, totally ignoring the tone of his voice. "Because if one destroys that thing they kill a youkai, no matter how strong."

"What? How? My reiki isn't that strong, I couldn't purify even a weak youkai," Kagome objected, aware of the fact that both youkai were looking at her, one with newfound awe and respect while the other with an unreadable expression.

"Of course you need to train first to be able to achieve that, especially since your reiki is not great." Kaede smiled at her confused daughter. "You will also have to train with your bow more, precision will be of essence if you want to master this ability."

"You see, lady Kagome," Myouga started in a tone warranting a long lecture. "Youkai are beings who are tightly bound to their energy, no matter how strong they might be. Disrupting the flow of the youketsu might bring great harm to one of our kind, destroying it equals destroying the youkai. That's why this ability is so special - one who sees youketsu can target it and bring down others without actually being more powerful. It works for both humans and youkai."

"Are you saying she can kill a youkai if she manages to hit the youketsu thing?" Inuyasha's ears twitched as he turned fully towards them again, too curious to keep pouting.

"No. Seeing doesn't mean it's any easier to reach the target, she merely will know where it is," Myouga shook his head and looked back up at Kagome. "You should keep this ability a secret, my lady. Many a time youkai hunted down and slew those who possessed it."

"I... I won't be talking about it to strangers," Kagome promised him honestly.

She wasn't sure what she felt. It would be so wonderful to be able to fight youkai, protect others, being a respected miko like her mother. But... She wasn't sure she could do it. Fighting wasn't really what she wanted to do, she much more preferred healing than inflicting wounds. 'I wonder if I trained to be able to destroy the swirls of youki my friends would grow wary of me...' The girl looked at the old youkai and her mother, who were looking at her as if waiting for a reaction.

"You don't have to decide right now if you want to train this ability," Kaede spoke softly, as if aware of the feelings in Kagome's heart the girl couldn't yet name herself. "If you want to do it you will have to travel away to receive a proper training, but if you prefer to remain a healer only, I will support you."

"Thanks, mom, I'll think about it," Kagome couldn't help but smile. She could see that Kaede was excited to see that her daughter had a rare ability, but she wouldn't force her to do anything. 'Still, I guess she's going to advise at least a basic training. I don't have to become a warrior miko, but leaving a gods-given talent would be a waste...' She looked at Inuyasha, who was observing her with intense, but not wary eyes. "Actually, I'd like to train more to use my reiki, but I'd rather make barriers, Do you think I could make them stronger?"

"Aye, I can teach you more, but you'll have to practice and meditate more on your own, child," Kaede nodded and Kagome relaxed. She didn't even know how tense she was after all the news about her newfound ability. It was unsettling to know that suddenly she could see something not many could, but she tried to focus on other things for now.

"I will do my best!" Kagome promised and smiled radiantly.

"But first let's eat," Kaede reached for the stack of bowls to fill them with rice and stew, Kagome hurried to help her with this task.

"Hey!" everyone looked towards the sleeping room door where Shippou stood, rubbing his eyes. "You planned on eating without me!"

"You snooze you lose," Inuyasha shrugged and inched closer to Kaede and sniffing curiously. Yuki followed him, wagging his tail as if asking nicely to get some food too. Inuyasha barked for him to go get his own meal and the dog immediately ran out of the hut.

"Oh goodness!" Myouga's surprised cry made everyone froze and look at the old flea pointing a finger at his master's chest. "That's a subjugating rosary! Who would dare to collar Inu no Taisho's son?"

"That would be me," Kagome blushed and handed Shippou his rice. Myouga gaped at her.

"See? That's the result when you decide to come with an important information too late for it to be of any help," Inuyasha said sourly. "Be glad I didn't tie you to a stick for Shouga to find you."

"Oh, gods..." Myouga, already shocked, now grew pale and had to sit down. "Is it... Is it active?"

"No," Kagome quickly replied, feeling guilty again. But one glance Inuyasha's way made her see that he wasn't angry at her. 'Probably he's just grumpy because Myouga didn't come back earlier or even tell us where he was going in the first place. I bet Inuyasha would've been much less grumpy if he knew that Myouga was going to bring him an answer soon.' Kagome thought, remembering how anxious and on edge Inuyasha had been for the past couple of days. "And it won't be."

She said it with a tone of finality and Myouga didn't ask about it again. During the meal they were talking about normal things, not related to reiki, youki or fighting. It was refreshing and soothing to just sit there with her friends and family, and enjoy the food. During the meal they talked and Kagome got to know that Inuyasha had been at the den after the dawn and had made sure the rest of his pack was fine. According to his words his canine companions were not in a great danger. They had some shallow cuts and bruises, but luckily to them Shippou's fire had been enough to destroy Yura's hair. Then Kagome learned that Kaede successfully goaded the forest spirit into bringing a sizable barrel of water from the river while Kagome was asleep. Shortly after the meal Myouga vanished and Kagome

Kaede was a woman who believed there was no better time than present. So when the dishes after the meal were washed and put away she decided it was the time for Kagome's first training.

Five minutes later Kagome found herself outside, in the small yard beside the hut, sitting on a log, with a bowl of rice cookies standing on another one in front of her. On the other side of the bowl two youkai were crouching, noses twitching, eyes fixed on the food. Kaede sat beside her daughter.

"Alright, children," the old miko said. "From my previous attempts to teach Kagome I learned one thing."

Kagome blushed, remembering all the years of failed attempts and the past few moths when she was finally showing some reiki, but it was so pathetically insignificant...

"She's performing better when it's a practical exercise," Kaede continued, not noticing her daughter's blush.

"And what of it? You don't plan on making her shoot at us, are you?" Inuyasha glanced at the old miko for a moment before resuming his observation of the food. 'The bottomless stomach of his...' Kagome almost smiled at his innocent expression. He looked like a hopeful puppy.

"No, of course not," Kaede shook her head. "Kagome wants to practice her barrier making. Usually a miko would sit and meditate, creating the barrier in the peaceful environment before moving to perform this ability in a battle."

Kagome felt that she might know what her mother had in mind.

"But for Kagome I think it will be better if she tries to make a barrier to keep youkai away from the food," Kaede finished.

"So... We're going to help Kagome train?" Shippou smiled brightly.

"In a way, young one. It's a game," Kaede pointed at the rice cookies. "If you get through the barrier you can take one and eat it."

"What happens when I lose all the cookies?" Kagome asked.

"Why, you'll have to sort all the herbs in the store room," Kaede smirked. "Alright, get to work!"

The first thing Kagome learned this afternoon was that hungry youkai were faster than a though. She was concentrating, her reiki rising and a barrier starting to form while both Inuyasha and Shippou were already having a cookie each.

"You can do better, wench," Inuyasha said before devouring his treat. Shippou just giggled happy he won and Kaede encouraged her to try to be faster.

After a few more tries she was able to make a barrier before they could reach the food, but it was so thin and weak that it couldn't stop even Shippou.

'Herbs storage, here I come,' Kagome thought sourly, tired and unhappy, looking at the smirking forest spirit with his prize in his hand and the kitsune perched on a log under the side wall of here hut, munching on his catch. Kaede returned home to grab a warmer mantle, but it was obvious the training would be soon over, the sun was pretty low now. 'It's hopeless, I'm not making any progress...'

"Oi, wench!" Kagome blinked when a rice cookie landed in her lap. She looked up and saw the forest spirit observing her carefully. "It's the first try, you know. It's not like you'll always get shit done right the first time."

'Is he... encouraging me not to give up...?' Kagome looked straight into his face, warmed by the thought. If he didn't lose his faith in her getting better she wasn't going to stop trying.

"The forest spirit is right, child," came Kaede's voice from the direction of the hut. "You started showing your reiki pretty late for a miko, but if you keep working on it you should be able to get a better grasp on it and utilize it to its fullest potential."

"Thanks," Kagome smiled at her mother and gave Inuyasha a special smile she had only for him as well. The hanyou looked away, his cheeks getting more color. But Kagome missed this, since she was adding the cookie to the bowl. She wasn't going to give up before there were cookies in the bowl.

It happened a few tries later. Kagome was focusing all her attention on Shippou. She knew now there was no chance she could block Inuyasha or them both, but hoped that maybe she could just create a barrier that could stop the kit, since he was much weaker than the hanyou. She was looking at his little hand as it was nearing the bowl.

'If I could... just put it... there...' she frowned, biting her bottom lip. And then she cast a barrier, one that was thicker than any other before. Shippou yelped in surprise as his progress was stopped and everyone stared at the shimmering blue barrier.

"It's... tiny," Inuyasha remarked, his ears cocked to the side in a sign of confusion. The barrier was hanging in the air, not bigger than a plate.

"But it stopped Shippou from reaching the cookies," Kaede laid a hand on Kagome's shoulder. "Good work, daughter."

"I... I just thought... That if I could stop Shippou's hand..." Kagome uttered uncertainly, but happily.

"You focused all of your reiki in this one spot and made a shield that worked better than a dome," Kaede examined the barrier before Kagome made it disappear. "I think it is a good solution for you, at least for now. It was much stronger than the others, since you had less space to cover."

"Yay, you did it!" Shippou said happily and as soon as the barrier was gone he made it for the bowl, stealing two cookies.

"Keh!" Inuyasha smirked. "Let's see if you can pull it again, Kagome."

Kagome tried to stop grinning, but it was hard not to be elated to see the progress - small it might be. It was her first barrier that stopped a youkai.

"Alright, it's the last try," Kaede stated. It only strengthened Kagome's resolve as she looked above the bowl at the forest spirit, poised to pounce on the food. His eyes were bright, a fang poking from under a lip. his claws outstretched. He looked playful and for the first time in a while he seemed to be entirely relaxed and at peace. Their eyes met for a minute and Kagome wondered if he felt as proud of her as her mom and Shippou were.

"Okay, I'm ready," Kagome decided to put all her strength in this last effort. She knew she needed every ounce of her reiki because she was the only one standing between the bowl of cookies and the fierce forest spirit.

Inuyasha leaped.

Kagome let out a cry and raised her barrier.

"Inuyasha! Get off of mmmmm!" Kagome was sprawled on her back with a heavy hanyou over her. Shippou was giggling somewhere behind them. The young healer looked up in Inuyasha's amused eyes and felt heat rising to her cheeks. As soon as Kagome opened her mouth to demand the hanyou to move off of her he stuffed a cookie in there, silencing her efficiently. Kaede, the other witness to the event, chuckled at the look on Kagome's face.

"Keh! There was supposed to be a barrier there!" he said arrogantly as he picked himself up and then dragged Kagome to her feet.

"I believe you have to do some more training before you can put up a barrier strong enough to hold against such a formidable attack," Kaede shook her head. Shippou didn't comment, he was too busy stuffing his face with the last of the cookies that were laying on the snow next to the toppled over bowl.

.

Kagome stumbled through the snow, that was wet and heavy, damping the hem of her clothes and in which her feet were constantly drowning. The walk through the forest, usually so easy, was now more like a workout and she felt overheated, despite the chilly weather. Since the last full moon ten days prior the weather was slowly getting warmer, with a rain or two that passed over the forest, making the snow hard to walk through. But it was fine, it was a promise of spring.

But finally she reached the meadow where the Sacred Tree stood and could sit down on one of its roots. She took a few breaths and loosened the collar of her mantle to get a bit cooler inside her warm clothing. Then she put her bag in her lap and opened it, so she could pick up a box of rice balls filled with various tasty thing. She started eating the first one, looking at the serene forest around her and listening to all the peaceful sounds. When she finished the second rice ball she picked the third one and threw it up.

It never fell into her waiting hand and she smiled and after a moment send another treat towards the canopy of tree limbs. When she failed to do it the third time she heard a soft grunt and a thud when the forest spirit decided to join her on the ground.

"Feh," he said and sat near her, just close enough so he could help himself to her food supply. She smiled and tilted the box so he could easier pick his favorite ones.

"Just leave some for Shippou," she warned. He scowled, but she just frowned back at him. "Anyway, I wanted to see you."

"You..." his dark expression lightened. "You did?"

"Of course!" she exclaimed and then dropped her gaze, feeling her cheeks getting warmer. "You're practically the only one who doesn't treat me different now. Beside mother."

"Huh?" the forest spirit raised an eyebrow. "You're the same, I'm the same, there isn't a reason to treat you different. What's going on?"

Kagome looked up through her bangs and bit her bottom lip, watching the hanyou sitting with a half-eaten rice ball in his grasp.

"The villagers seem all to know about our training and they also noticed the beads around your neck," she said slowly. Inuyasha merely shrugged. "They call me 'Lady Kagome' now, even those who never wanted to deal with me. Most of the villager think I somehow... collared you... as a part of our deal or whatever, but mother says they think I'm what Kikyou couldn't have been."

"I hardly feel collared, wench. You lack power to do that," he snorted, but she saw an odd glow in his eyes as he looked at her before turning his head sideways. "They're just stupid."

Kagome smiled softy. Inuyasha didn't like to talk about the kotodama around his neck, but he never was angry at her for that. Besides, seeing him not caring about what the villagers were thinking about her and their bond, made her relax. She had been worrying that he'd be upset, but he seemed as indifferent as he could be.

"Anyway, mother says that they're guessing you aren't going to go rampant in the village because of the beads," she continued. It was so nice to have someone to talk to, someone who acted around her as if she was just a normal girl. He had been there for her when she had been labeled a cursed miko, he was at her side now, when she suddenly got people acting respectfully towards her. Only mother and him remained the same through all of that and her mother, as good as she was, was always very busy. Inuyasha, on the other hand, seemed to always have time for her. She didn't dare to think he was looking to their meetings as desperately as she did, but he never failed to join her under the Sacred Tree. Even if he was grumpy and huffy all the time, he was still there. And as much as he liked to complain about her talking too much his ears always were tilted her way.

"Feh," his ears twitched. "They're no match for me, what's the point? Besides your crazy bat mother would go after my head if I did."

Kagome giggled, but managed to glare at him.

"Don't call her crazy bat! She made the rice balls you eat, you!" Inuyasha looked down to the food in his hand, his ears swiveling.

"It... You haven't made them?" he asked, sounding almost crestfallen. Then his ears stood straight as he glanced at her. "Feh, I should've figured that out, they're all perfectly shaped, not looking like someone sat on them. "

"Hey, dog-boy! Don't insult my cooking!" she exclaimed.

"Or what?" Inuyasha looked amused, his smirk showing his fangs.

"Or I'll stuff you with the strongest spices I can find!" she wagged a finger at him. His eyes narrowed at the finger and before she could hide her hand she found her wrist grasped by his rough hands.

"Inu-" she started and saw him leaning in, his eyes glued to a bit of rice stuck to one of her fingers she had used to hold her lunch earlier. She blushed when she saw the tip of his tongue sticking out from between his mouth. 'Is he... going to lick it off...?' she thought, trying to slow down her suddenly three times faster heartbeat. The hanyou's close proximity and firm grasp on her hand was making a swarm of fluttering butterflies fly rampant in her belly. She gasped when she felt his hot breath on her finger. 'He is!'

Two fuzzy ears twitched and his eyes lifted from the rice on the tip of her finger to look straight into her eyes for a split second. She found in his yellow eyes something akin to longing and hunger.

The next moment he sprang up, letting go of her hand and grabbing the bag with the box of rice balls in it. She felt her whole body go limp and a whoosh of air leaving her in one breath. Then she noticed the bag missing and looked up to see the hanyou looking down at her from a branch.

"Hey! Give it back!"

"Keh!" he threw the empty bag at her while making his escape with the rice balls.

Kagome wanted to give chase, but she knew she had no chance to catch up to him. She looked down at the rice still stuck to her finger and blushed as she shook it off her hand.

She sat back down. she had a minute before she could go back home.


	30. His Dark Secret

A/N: Considering I had been waiting to write this chapter practically since the day I started to write this story it probably isn't that good. Anyway, have fun and don't forget to flame me in the comments!

* * *

 **His Dark Secret**

* * *

He looked at the oranges and purples of the sunset for a moment before he turned his back at the spectacle of light and dark across the western sky. Carefully he walked towards Shippou's room and checked on the slumbering child.

He wasn't really a person who liked kids, but the boy was his ward and he was obliged to take care of him. And, despite their bickering, Inuyasha liked the mischievous brat... A bit. After the recent events Inuyasha knew the kid had it in himself to become a decent warrior, he had a brave, loyal heart, even if he seemed to have hay instead of brain most of the time. Besides a real warrior wouldn't be such a heavy sleeper. Pleased that the kitsune wasn't likely to wake up anytime soon, Inuyasha walked to the main room and found Kiba there, the dog laying near the dying embers of the fire pit.

"Keep the fort," Inuyasha said to the big canine while walking past him and got a short bark of agreement. The forest spirit looked around the room one last time before leaving and saw a painted wooden bowl with a handful of apples sitting on a small table in a corner.

'Kagome...'

It was obviously one of Kagome's many 'food offerings', left by the miko the last time she had been to the den. Inuyasha shook his head and went to grab an apple. It was small and a bit pruned, it didn't look like much, bu it tasted sweet. He ate the whole thing as he walked out of the room.

With a half smirk he thought that the apple resembled the giver - the girl who had been almost an outcast merely a half of an year ago. A girl who had been running to the forest to talk to a potentially deadly youkai pinned to a tree by her reincarnation. A girl who had it in herself to not only not fear him, but to accept him, befriend him, trust him...

She was merely a weak human, not too long ago not even having real spiritual power, yet her voice back then and now could soothe his spirit, chase away the memories of the darkness of Kikyou's spell. With one glance the simple village girl could make his heart skip a beat, his blood boiling and freezing at the same time.

He was fearing the day she realized she had more power over him than he'd like to admit she had, with or without the beads. What would she do if she knew how attached to her he was? How much he feared that she'd one day turn her back on him? 'Would she be disgusted to know I want to not only protect her, but to hold her? I'm bound to her, but I was bound to her before I put the beads on. Will see this as a weakness?' His fingers touched the necklace around his neck - the sign of her loyalty, of her treating him like a person and not like a mere beast one could tame and bend to their will. When he was by her side he didn't feel like a filthy half-breed.

He remembered that at first he had been a bit wary, not used to the innocence and kindness of the girl. A part of him had feared that she was going to betray him just like Kikyou, but he pretty fast had realized that the petite miko was nothing like Kikyou. She trusted him and he still felt unsure how to deal with a person who accepted and trusted him like she did.

Who made him feel alive and belonging for the first time in his life.

"Damn," he slid the door of his room shut with a bit more force than was necessary. "I'm turning into a wuss already..."

He glared at his hands and pulled Tessaiga out of his obi, the sword was heavy in his grip. 'I have to tell her soon. Will she think I'm a pathetic weakling? Will she change when she knows?'

The logical part of him knew she wouldn't think less of him because of that, after all she used to be weak - actually she still wasn't even half as strong as her old mother - and she wasn't the type to look down at others for not being strong. But still, his insecure part feared facing her, talking to her about the secrets he held. He feared her rejection, but at the same time wanted to show her he trusted her. 'Next time,' he thought and laid Tessaiga under a wall before walking towards the chest under the opposite wall. "Next time I'll show her.'

He shivered when he felt the sun set.

.

The day was so sunny, the snow seemed to glow even when the sunlight faded to dusk. Kagome finished her work for today and looked at the village between the hills and the dark line of the forest wrapped around the human dwelling protectively. She knew some people of the village wouldn't share her opinion, but since the forest spirit was back she felt as if his whole domain was a barrier keeping bad things from reaching her village. Which was a little odd because of all that had happened since his awakening. There were no more youkai raids, but she still remembered the Namoya people and Yura's attack had happened mere two weeks ago.

So much changed in her life lately, all thanks to Inuyasha. Sometimes she felt like it was him that awoke her under the Sacred Tree last summer, then had unsealed her power while she had undid the sacred seal on his spirit. After all it was after that night that she started to actually have any reiki she could use. She even gained respect of the villagers, who thought that the kotodama no nenju around Inuyasha's neck was the testament of her power.. Just a few days ago she had heard someone calling her Kikyou's reincarnation without the usual bitter tone. Sometimes she wondered what the villagers really thought about her relationship with the forest spirit, their benevolent, yet wild guardian.

Despite being respected now as the miko who had managed to 'tame' the forest spirit without him getting enraged Kagome still was keeping mostly to herself. The change of the attitude many of the villagers had had over the past couple of weeks felt wrong for her. She didn't think she deserved respect for any deeds, because she had done none. This was the reason why she was trying to do her best, to actually earn that. Besides, as odd as it felt to be talked to and greeted by smiling faces, it also felt nice not to be ignored.

She smiled when she remembered one of the villagers introducing her mother and herself to a traveling merchant the other day. He had called them Lady Miko Kaede and Inu no Miko Kagome. She had been actually surprised by the name given to her by the villagers, but she knew the root of it - after all there was no dog in the village that dared to bark or growl at her and often one of Inuyasha's pack would come, usually carrying Myouga who wanted to stay away from the den for a couple of hours. And sometimes the dog spirit would come to visit, even if he preferred to meet her under the Sacred Tree, away from other humans.

'Tomorrow Inuyasha will come to the village to get the monthly offerings," she thought, already hoping she could goad him into staying and helping her to bring water from the river up to the hut. 'Maybe an offering of my own could make him inclined to help me? I think a dumpling could do the trick.'

With a small smile the young healer walked past the common room and slid into the bedroom to find her treasure pouch. She sat on her bedding and loosened the ties of the pouch to pour out of it her little treasures on her blanket. There was an acorn - the first one Shippou had given her. When she held it she still could feel his aura hidden in it. Beside it was a pendant given to her by Kaede and a length of green ribbon. There was also an another treasure - a few centimeters long thin braid of silver hair radiating a faint aura of the forest spirit. Kagome reached for the braid - she was often holding it and focusing her senses on the red traces of his youki. At first she had pretended it was an exercise for her to sense youki, but she wasn't lying to herself anymore, holding the braid and sensing it's aura was soothing. She hoped her mother had no idea she had the braid and the acorn - she doubted Kaede would have anything against such trinkets, but she'd die of embarrassment if he secret was out. She usually just touched the stolen lock of hair and then hid it away before going to sleep.

But tonight as she reached for the braid, her hand froze and heart skipped a beat. Before her wide eyes Inuyasha's hair lost its radiant glow and she couldn't feel his youki tingling against her fingertips. 'Something's wrong. Very, very wrong...' Her heart clenched and she grasped her treasure in trembling fingers.

Before she knew it Kagome was walking out of the hut, a basket with her healing stuff in one and a bow in the other hand.

"Kagome?" Kaede lifted her eye from a bowl she was mixing something in.

"I must go, mother," the young healer said and her grip on both items tightened. She didn't know any trace of previous serenity, she was determined to leave with or without Kaede's blessing.

"I see," the old miko sighed. "Just be careful. Use your powers to make sure there is no mononoke or a wild animal lurking in the forest. And get him to bring you back, I don't want you wandering around in the dark and cold. Or you can just stay the night."

"Thanks, mom!" Kagome ran out of the hut. "I'll be careful!"

She was halfway down the hillside when she realized what exactly her mother had told her. A deep blush heated her cheeks when she realized her mother assumed she was going to see the forest spirit. But she didn't dwell on this though for long, there was something more important now - actually reaching the hanyou and making sure he was alright, finding out why the braid in her pouch was dark and she couldn't sense any youki from it.

The light of the evening was fading around her, she knew that there would be no moon overhead tonight, only stars illuminating the sky. As soon as she reached the forest the world became darker, grimmer, tree limbs swaying on the wind above her as she ran down a narrow path.

When she could run no longer she started to walk as fast as she could, feeling the shadows in front of her with the bow and outstretching her senses around as much as she could. She had to get to Inuyasha, she couldn't let anything stop her. The crisp night air was burning in her lungs and she felt at the same time overheated after running and shivering in trepidation. Often her hand would travel to the punch secured around her neck, but there was no change, no youki. This only urged her forward.

The eerie silence of the forest only added to her fear, she could hear only the creaking of trees in some distance and her own footsteps and panting.

The sight of the den elicited a strangled cry out of her. The structure looked undamaged and the barrier around it was strong as ever. Kagome took a deep breath and approached the gate, her hand outstretched. The barrier hummed against her skin as usual and she passed through it like through a cloud of smoke.

The inside of the building was dark and silent. Kagome threw her bow in one corner of the genkan, her mantle flying towards the opposite side as she jumped up to the raised floor, reaching for Inuyasha. She was about to call his name when she saw something white slinking her way down the corridor.

"Kiba!" she breathed out. The dog looked at her with his smart eyes and wagged his tail. It gave Kagome a pause, the dog didn't show any signs of fear or agitation, just came to her to curiously sniff her thigh. He looked as if he wanted to inquire about her uneven breathing and unannounced arrival at such a late hour. "Inuyasha. Is he here? Lead me to him Kiba."

The white canine barked softly and turned around, leading her to the place where she had been headed - Inuyasha's bedroom. Upon reaching the door Kiba nudged the wooden frame and looked at her. Kagome stroked his head.

"Good boy," she said and took the last calming breath before sliding the door open.

.

Kagome's sight swept across the room in a flash.

She expected to find Inuyasha there, maybe sitting under a wall or laying on his bed. But there was no sight of the hanyou in the room, no silver hair or white furry ear in the dimly lit space. But the room wasn't empty.

There was a stranger in there. Someone somehow had sneaked in the lair of the forest spirit and was now digging in the chest where Inuyasha stored his belongings.

"Aaah!" With a battle cry and without really thinking about what she was doing Kagome attacked the thief, afraid that maybe he had hurt Inuyasha and caused his youki to fade. There couldn't be any other explanations for a stranger in the inner den of the forest spirit.

Her body collided with the man and they both tumbled to the ground, the stranger gasped in shock as she jumped on his back and groaned when his face hit the floor narrowly missing the corner of the chest. Before they even reached the floor Kagome started to hit him with her fists and pulling his long black hair, disorienting him.

"What the...?" the man tried to push himself off of the floor, but Kagome grabbed his head and hit it on the hard wood with a satisfying thud. "Ow, fuck!"

"Where's Inuyasha?! I warn you, if you did something to him I'll..." Kagome exclaimed, her fists hitting the man, who was trying to shake her off of him. In her anger she squeezed his waist with her legs, hitting the thief with all the strength she could muster. For a moment it even looked like she was winning, the man was merely laying on the floor motionlessly. But then she felt the sinewy body moving under her and then suddenly she was no longer sitting on his back.

"Ah!"

Now it was her who was laying on the floor, looking up to the man who was pinning her down, her wrists in his iron grip, his scowling face centimeters from hers. She noticed with a hint of pride the thin stream of blood running down from his bruised nose. His brown eyes appeared almost black in the dim light of the lamp located in the corner of the room.

"Let go of me!" she struggled to get free, kicking and trying to bite him. Just now she realized how great mistake she had made. She had attacked a stranger, a man who obviously was much stronger than her. And didn't look too pleased. She managed to kneel his side.

"Stop it!" he barked and Kagome remembered the huge akita who had been by the doorway.

"Kiba!" Kagome called the alpha of Inuyasha's pack. The dog barked from somewhere behind the man. A part of her was shocked how happy the dog sounded.

"Stay," the stranger didn't even look away and to Kagome's dread the canine answered with another playful bark, obviously accepting the order. She felt her body, already tired after her run from the village, losing the strength she had gotten from her anger earlier and she felt tears welling in her eyes. Now not only she wouldn't help Inuyasha, she was in trouble herself...

The man holding her captive froze.

"Are you... crying?" he inquired, trepidation in his voice. "Stop crying!"

This gave Kagome a pause and she looked at him, blinking her tears away. It was unlikely for a shady man to sound so... unsettled by the tears of the girl he had caught. And the voice sounded familiar...

It lacked a certain growl to it, but it sounded just like Inuyasha's. And when Kagome actually looked at the man she saw he was very similar to the hanyou too, just had different eye and hair color, lacked fangs and had human ears. Her sight wandered down...

...And landed on a string of beads around his neck. Very familiar beads.

"I-Inuyasha?" she breathed out, ceasing her struggles to get free.

"Keh," the man let go of her hands and crawled off of her, crouching beside her and looking at her intensely. She could see how tense he was and saw in his eyes... 'Is it anxiety or worry?' Kagome wondered as she sat up and straightened her coat.

"What happened to you?" she asked, slowly sitting up and rubbing the back of her head. He looked to the side. She found it actually hard to read him now, his expressions were still there with emotions, but there were no ears to reflect them.

"I'm a hanyou. Once a month I lose my youki and become human for a night," he murmured. "This is the night."

"Oh," Kagome was still observing him, trying to adjust to the different look of the man she knew. "I see."

"I was going to tell you the next month," he muttered after a minute of silence, still not looking her way. "I... didn't know how, but I was going to."

When he finally glanced her way Kagome offered him a warm smile.

"It's okay," she said. "I won't tell anyone about your secret. And you don't have to push yourself into telling me anything. I'll wait until you're comfortable."

"Keh."

He glanced her way again, this time for a longer moment, obviously more at ease with her assurance she wasn't angry for him keeping such a big secret for so long. She guessed it made sense for him to be reluctant to tell anyone about his time of weakness, after all that was the best time to kill him if one wanted to do so.

"I..." she glanced to the door where Kiba was sitting obediently, wagging his tail. "I thought you were a bandit that came to steal your treasures or something... And I couldn't feel your youki."

"Keh!" he scoffed. "What bandit would go inside a youkai's den? Besides, I'm not that helpless, wench."

"Well, sorry for worrying! I ran all the way from the village when I..."

Those dark brown eyes looked straight into her face, his brows knitting when a thoughtful expression took over his face.

"Why exactly did you come here after sunset, huh?" he asked. He was human, all right, but he retained all his hanyou habits. Right now he was crouched on all fours, leaning in and tilting his head inquisitively. Kagome bit her bottom lip and looked away from him.

"I told you - I was worried," she muttered. She still could feel his eyes on herself. "I couldn't feel your youki anymore"

"Liar," he grumbled. "You can't sense youki from that far."

"I'm not a liar, Inuyasha!" she glared at him and reached into her clothing to find a certain object. When she grabbed it she offered it on the palm of her hand stuck under his nose so he could see it.

"Huh?" Inuyasha blinked at a small ring made from black hair. "What's with the hair?"

"That's yours, you idiot," she glared at him. "It changed and lost it's youki when the sun disappeared. I thought you were... hurt..."

She snatched her hand away before he could look down to the bit of hair again. She felt embarrassed, especially because he was obviously unharmed. And now he knew she had stole his hair. 'He probably thinks I'm as weird as Yura was...'

"I'm sorry. I... I guess I felt safer after all that happened with what happened with your brother and then that lord..." she heard herself mumbling as she put her hair ring back in her pocket. "I felt better when I could sense you. So I... I distracted you and cut some of your hair when you weren't looking."

"K-keh. Sneaky wench," he stuttered and Kagome dared to look up for a second, just to see him blushing and looking away. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "You have to stay here now, I can't take you home when I'm like that."

"That's okay," Kagome smiled and let her body relax. "I don't mind staying here. And I'm glad you're fine. I was so scared for you."

It happened when she let herself relax. Almost as soon as her eyes slid closed and she sighed in relief she felt something warm and wet slide across her cheek. With a startled gasp she looked at Inuyasha's face mere centimeters away from hers. 'He licked me!' Judging by the surprised, rather terrified and embarrassed look on his face that was as unexpected to him as it was to her. But there was also determination in his eyes as he refused to look away from her, despite the rampant blush across his cheeks and nose.

"Inuyasha?" she dared to breathe out, The array of emotions she saw in his eyes was almost overwhelming. The hanyou was often getting angry or distrustful, sarcastic or annoyed, but tonight his eyes held a certain softness to them and expressed emotions that the hanyou rarely showed. She felt as if she was given a chance to literally see another side of her forest spirit.

"You stole my hair," he muttered. "And I kissed you. Now we both did something weird, we're even. What?"

He sounded annoyed when she giggled and ducked her head to hide the flaming blush covering her own face.

"That wasn't a kiss, that was a lick!" she pointed out, both embarrassed and amused. At the same time she was relieved and disappointed it wasn't a kiss. "And if you're going to steal kisses you should aim for the mouth."

"Well duh, I ain't that kind of a guy to kiss people on the mouth without their consent!" he pouted, she didn't have to look up from behind her hands to know that.

"But you're free to lick them?" she couldn't help herself and teased him a bit. It made her focus on something else than the fact that he was still very close. He grumbled under his nose. "What was that?"

"Wench," he repeated and moved to squat beside her again. Kagome looked up at him. He was definitely acting different in his human form, but not as much that she felt he was a different person. He was just less guarded and more talkative Inuyasha, more playful and obviously more affectionate. The hanyou wouldn't ever lick her as a retaliation for taking his hair. He'd probably scoff and cross his arms. On the other hand she remembered the incident from a couple of days earlier, when he had almost licked a bit of rice off of her finger, so maybe the hanyou would do the same as his human self?

In his human form Inuyasha seemed younger, more vulnerable. She missed the confidence of the hanyou, but she decided that his form didn't really change anything in what she felt towards and around the forest spirit. He was still Inuyasha.

"Come, wench," he said suddenly. "We can have some tea since you're already here. It's going to be a long night."

"Hey!" Kagome jumped to her feet when he sighed. "You're not the one who left their bed to go and ran all the way here!"

"You can sleep here," he gave a gesture with his hand and she wasn't sure if he meant his own bed or the den in general. "It's not like I will be sleeping, but you don't have to stay up all the night."

"Why?" now it was Kagome's turn to tilt her head.

"I never sleep when I'm human. Too easy to get killed. Look at me, I let you sneak up on me!"

"Inuyasha!" she scolded him and he gave her a grin that made her smile in return despite herself.

A/N: And now it's plainly clear that I'm terrible at the romance part. I'm honestly sorry, but hope it isn't totally ugly.


	31. Promises

A/N: OK, I feel it could be done better, but for now it's the best I could do. I guess I will have to rewrite it sometime in the future.

* * *

 **Promises**

* * *

Kagome was dreaming and was pretty sure of it.

It wasn't because in her dream she was in the forest at summer, with warm sunlight filtering through leaves above, while she was aware of the fact it was closer to the end of the winter than summer and that the Forest of Inuyasha was covered in snow, not leaves and blooms.

It was because in her dream she was pinned to the Sacred Tree by an arrow.

She could remember the previous evening: her mad dash to Inuyasha's den, finding him turned human, having tea by the fire pit... Leaning against his shoulder and listening to him talk - he was very talkative in his human form.

And now she was pinned to the Tree, just like he had once been, but awake and aware of the forest around her. And the boy sitting upon one of the Tree's roots by her feet.

"You know, wench," he was talking, looking into the forest and cradling in his hand a bowl of cherries. His voice was the softer one of his human self, despite him being in his hanyou form, his ears relaxed on top of his head, breeze playing with silver hair. "You're the first one to see my human self. I mean, my mom and Myouga had seen me, but... You're the first one I wanted to show it. I know it's stupid, but I never allowed Shippou to see me like this, I wanted you to be first."

Warmth spread across her body when she heard that confession. Yes, finding him human tonight was an accident, but he had wanted to show her. She was glad that now he knew she didn't think less of him because of having a vulnerable form for of duration a night every month.

She wanted to tell him that, to rub an ear that was close to her hand, but she couldn't move or speak, able only to listen.

Just like Inuyasha had been the last summer, when she had been visiting him, sleeping under Kikyou's spell.

"I'm hanyou and everyone outside of the forest would look down at me, think I'm filthy and weak. But I always managed to protect my territory and the villagers are easy to impress, so to them I became a powerful guardian spirit," he continued, picking up a cherry and twirling it between his claws. "And I never desired to leave, to wander off into the outside world, because I'm a territorial bastard and it's better to be here than face the same hate other people felt towards me whenever I dared to venture out from the forest. They know nothing about me, but they still hate and fear me, think I'm an abomination."

Kagome's heart squeezed when she heard this oddly honest and unguarded confession. Usually Inuyasha would never admit to things like that.

"But when I went with you they seemed... More inclined to accept me because I was... yours. They were still scared, some disgusted by me around, but no one wanted to chase me away," she barely heard those words, so softly he spoke them. Still, she felt heat rising in her cheeks, especially when she noticed a small smirk on his lips. He ate the cherry, spat the seed on the ground and pulled on his beads before reaching for another fruit. "I'm bound to you, wench. And Myouga says that never had he heard about an inu youkai bound to a human, unless it was an inugami. For me... For me it feels almost like we're pack. I've never thought I'd have a pack to run with, but you... and Shippou, you are becoming kinda like my pack. That's weird because hanyou aren't supposed to have packs, but... that's also great."

Kagome would gasp if she could when he looked up to her face, his yellow eyes intense, full of affection and gratitude, longing and hope - all the emotions she could hear in his voice. She knew that look, she had looked at his sleeping face with the same hope that she could find a companion in him, a friend that wouldn't judge her without knowing her.

"Kagome," he growled softly. "I don't give a shit whose reincarnation you are, or if you're strong or not. I will always be there to protect you. But sometimes..." he looked to his bowl of cherries. "I regret our deal is off. I'm bound to you, but you ain't bound to me. You can one day just find a pure blood human and stop coming to the Goshinboku."

'What do you mean, Inuyasha?' she thought, unable to ask. 'I won't stop coming to the Sacred Tree. I want to stay at your side for how long I can.'

'But I couldn't order you to stay. I never wanted you to be my slave, I wanted you to choose to be around me by yourself. You trusted me enough to free me from the arrow and I couldn't repay you by enslaving you just so I could keep you. You are free to go and... you already gave me your friendship, that's more than a hanyou can get. I should be thankful, not want more."

Kagome felt her heart squeeze when she heard him speaking softly, dejectedly, without the usual air of confidence about him. Oh, how she wished that it was the real Inuyasha admitting to wanting to have her near him.

The hanyou sitting under the Tree was still talking, unaware of her getting lost in her memories. When she started to listen to him again he was telling her about how he hated his human nights because he felt like a caged dog, having to stay in the den, behind the protection of the barrier. As a human he felt weak, deaf and blind.

"When I was younger I went on a journey outside my forest from time to time, but always returned when the moon was waning," he said. "You know, you were always an outcast for being weak and not like that bitch Kikyou, but at least they never chased you out with pitchforks and torches. They never flailed you, never hunted you like a wild animal. They were ignoring you and looking down at you, but at least they never wanted to kill you, even if they were speaking mean stuff and shit.. If I had turned human or showed weakness they'd kill me," he grumbled. "Killed by a bunch of measly humans." Inuyasha shook his head,. "Humans are like youkai, they will pretend they accept you if you show them you're stronger than them. but the moment they see you're not... you're dead meat."

Kagome's heart clenched when she heard that. He tried to sound nonchalant, but she could hear his loneliness and pain as he spoke. She wanted to sit beside him and wrap her arms around him, tuck her head under his chin. He sounded to bitter, so lonely. She now realized how similar they were in that they had been always perceived by their kin as weaker. Still, for her he was the powerful forest spirit and with him at her side she felt she had nothing to fear. She knew that he knew that he could show her his weaker side and not get hurt - after all showing his human form was a sign of trust. Yes, he hadn't planned on doing that tonight, but he had been going to do that soon.

"Hanyou have no place in youkai world or human one. So I made my own place and you're... Shit, I'm rambling like an old, sentimental hag," he cried out in agitation and threw the bowl of cherries at the nearest trees. With surprise Kagome realized it wasn't a tree at all, it was a wooden wall and the bowl itself was just a piece of wood. She was no longer pinned to the Sacred Tree, but instead laying beside Inuyasha, wrapped in something warm and fuzzy. She also realized Inuyasha was no longer hanyou, his hair was black. She blinked at the sudden change of the scenery. "Stupid human night! Good it's almost over and you're not awake, Kagome. I sound like a wuss."

Was it his raised voice, a dull sound of wood hitting wood or utterance of her name, she didn't know, but suddenly she realized was no longer dreaming. Instead of Inuyasha's Forest she was in his den, wrapped in a blanket and laying near the fire pit. Inuyasha was sitting close to her and grumbling under his breath. She could clearly see his profile and the deep scowl he had on his face.

Kagome frowned. Was it all but a dream, all that he had told her? Or was it real? It sounded so... real... And at the same time so sweet and so heartbreaking.

He straightened his back and looked to the opposite wall as a wave of youki surrounded him. Kagome blinked when she felt the red energy pulse around him and saw his body change to his hanyou form. Kagome smiled when she saw his dog ears and silver hair, feeling a part of her relax. She hadn't been aware it had been tense all that time until she felt the tension leaving her. That was her Inuyasha, the one she was used to, the rough around the edges forest spirit.

"Guess sun's up," he smirked and turned to look her way, as if to see if the rise of youki woke her.

His golden eyes widened when they rested upon her own, wide awake and reflecting the emotions swirling in her heart. He jumped from his spot next to her side, landing in a crouch that reminded her of a startled, wary dog.

"Inuyasha..." she started and sat up slowly, so not to alarm him more. She couldn't help, but think about what she had heard in her dream and the evening before. 'He must think about all that he told me during the night now,' she thought. 'He must feel pretty embarrassed for showing me his more vulnerable side.'

"You heard," he growled out, his ears laying back. He looked like he was ready to spring away at any second. Kagome outstretched a hand towards him, smiling softly to make him know that she wasn't angry or anything. She just wanted to assure him that she chose long ago to stand at his side, that he could turn to her whenever he felt lonely, just like she had once ran to his sleeping form in the forest to find solace. Usually startled or caught while being 'soft' Inuyasha was prone to leaving without a word, sulking and not coming to see her for days. From his reaction it was clear that all the things she had heard in her sleep not only had been real, but that he viewed them as a sign of weakness.

"I'm not sure I heard all. I thought I was dreaming..." she started. "You know, I dreamed of the last summer..."

And that was how far she went before the hanyou suddenly jumped to his feet and out of the room. She called after him, but it was in vain. Without thinking Kagome followed him, knowing well that he was much faster. There was no way to make him stop, to sit and listen to what she wanted to tell him, let her ask her questions and hear his answers. 'If he just could stay and sit and listen!'

Damn, that hot-head hanyou! Why couldn't he just talk to her like just a minute ago!? She wasn't going to look down at him only because he had been talking about emotions. He was a person, he was entitled to have feelings and it was normal to share your thoughts with your friends.

Panting, Kagome left the den and jumped into the crisp morning air, that immediately bit at her exposed skin. The wet snow damping her feet before she took three steps, Kagome knew she had no chance to catch up to him, unless he stopped. Her imagination supplied her with an image of Inuyasha tripping, falling face first in the snow and laying there long enough for her to catch up and explain things.

"Inuyasha! Sit!"

.

Kagome carefully approached the red figure laying prostrate in the snow The figure wasn't trying to rise, but from the muffled curses it was pretty obvious he was conscious. And angry as hell.

'Oh, goodness... What have I done?' Kagome had no doubt it was her doing, there was no denying the spark of reiki that left her when she had called after him just a minute ago had been what had activated the spell. She had seen a glow in the forest and had heard a thump, followed by very colorful vocabulary on Inuyasha's part. Her feet were wet and burning, and she was hugging her hand to her chest, but more than the cold the felt guilt and fear.

She had used the kotodama no nenju. She had subjugated him.

It proved to be pretty effective, since he remained put long enough for her to catch up to him. But now she had to do some serious groveling before she could address the matter that had made her use the beads in the first place. The spell was weakening, so she had to act fast, unless she wanted to use the rosary again. The alternative of not seeing Inuyasha probably for weeks only strengthened her resolve. She had to make things right, and fast.

"Wench!" he barked and looked up at her. That was all prompting she needed to finally start crying and collapse to her knees in front of him, grabbing both sides of his head. The angry scowl on his face was replaced by a look of befuddlement.

"I'm so sorry, Inuyasha! I promised not to use the beads and I did just that," Kagome sobbed. He trusted him and she broke her promise. "I didn't mean to, I just wanted you to stay, I wanted to talk... I'm so sorry! Please, don't hate me now... I didn't mean to break the promise and hurt you!"

"Feh!" he grumbled, glaring at her for a second more before looking away. "As if you could hurt me."

A spark of hope ignited in her heart and she wiped her tears, just to make room for new ones.

"Do... Do you..." she started. "Will you forgive me? I didn't want to subjugate you, I just wanted to talk... I won't use the beads to control you, I swear, I..."

"Stop blabbering, wench," he grumbled. "And stop being stupid."

For a moment Kagome forgot about her anxiety and worries. She glared down at the hanyou.

"I ain't the one who was going to run away and avoid me for weeks!" she pointed out. Inuyasha lifted himself to a crouch in front of her, scowling at her. But despite having the growling forest spirit right in her face Kagome felt no fear of him. She looked straight at him, refusing to submit and look away, determined to make sure everything was fine.

"Feh!" there was a light dusting of pink across his cheeks, but he was still frowning at her, too stubborn to look away himself. "Of course I was talking stupid shit, I was changed!"

"Inuyasha..." Kagome started and took a deep breath, trying to think about what she remembered from her dream. When she spoke again her voice was soft and warm. "You don't have to be embarrassed for telling m about your feelings and past. I'm here for you. I will always be," she promised. It looked that her words had bigger impact on him that a shouting could have - his eyes widened and then he lowered his head, hiding his face in the shade cast by his bangs.

"Inuyasha," she laid a hand against his shoulder. "I'm really sorry I subdued you. I really didn't mean to. I'd take the rosary off of you if I could."

"Keh. It shows I'm bound to you," he shrugged. "Just don't do that again or I'll find a way to subdue you."

A small smile curved the edges of her mouth when she heard him speaking more like himself.

"Deal. And, you know, Inuyasha," she leaned in to whisper almost against his ear, knowing that she had to tell him, but feeling utterly awkward. "It has some of my reiki in it, so it shows I'm bound to you in a way too. And I won't stop coming to the Sacred Tree, no matter what, as long as you will be there."

She found her other hand clasped in warm grip of a clawed hand.

"I'll protect you with my life," Inuyasha promised, his yellow eyes shining from behind his bangs and Kagome felt a shiver that had nothing to do with the cold running down her spine. She squeezed his shoulder.

"And I'll stay at your side for as long as you let me," she promised in return. She couldn't look away from those eyes and she wanted to say something more or do something to seal that promise.

Inuyasha's ears twitched suddenly and a load of snow fell from the overhanging branch straight on top of them before he could do more than to pull Kagome against him to shield her from the worst of it. Still, she gasped when the cold stuff got under her already wet and chilly clothing.

"Oi! Can you cut the mushy stuff and come back in?!" called Shippou's voice from above. "It's time for the breakfast!"

She felt her cheeks flaming at the realization that they had had an audience, but she had no time to feel embarrassed or truly appreciate what had happened, she had to save the kitsune from the bloodthirsty forest spirit, despite the fact that a part of her regretted that their moment had been so suddenly disrupted.

While Inuyasha stood up, still holding her in his arms and yelling profanities and promises of painful fate up at the giggling kit Kagome shook her head and tucked it under Inuyasha's chin, effectively startling him.

"Let's go home," she said. "I think I need a long soak in the hot spring if I don't want to end up ill."

A/N: The End.  
I mean - at least for now. I have data for continuing this AU and plan to pick up the plot after some hiatus, but for now you can consider the story finished. I want to do some other AUs and stories before resuming work on this one - I might be rewriting it or just continue it, still not sure.  
Thank you all for favs, follows, kudos and comments! You don't know how many times you made me smile! I'm so glad that you like this story!


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